The Creators
by Batsutousai
Summary: When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.' Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands. FOUNDERS FIC
1. Home

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Ron/Krum, Hermione/Bill  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore, Dark!Harry, slash, femslash  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** I've spent about two days telling this idea to piss off, but it's bound and determined to write itself. Damnit.

Oh, and give me a little slack for one tiny thing? I know Ron's eyes are blue and Hermione's are brown, but it worked better in my mind the other way around. Honest.  
Also, I know what Susan Bones looks like in the movies, but I'm sorta making her my own for this fic. Especially since Jo never specifies in the books. XD

-0-0-

_Prophecy's Children_

-0-0-

It was a quiet day in September when the Grangers' daughter was born. Bright blue eyes with a lifetime of intelligence blinked open at her mother when she was allowed to hold the child and the two Grangers cooed over how smart the child would be. Certainly the girl would be brilliant. Perhaps she would, one day, even surpass her parents, who were dentists. Perhaps, one day, she would be so much more.

Indeed, Hermione Jean Granger was meant for things her parents could only guess at, for Hermione had once lived another life, where she was called Rowena, and she remembered that life.

-0-

Chill winds danced through the Bones Manor walls when the first child was born. A girl, much to the surprise of her parents. Eyes yellow as her mother's hair, the girl radiated a calm that her parents had never seen before in a child. Certainly not a newborn! She was certain to be an odd child, her parents thought.

And Susan Marie Bones was quite the oddity in her quiet and soothing manner, though that was due to her past life, that of a woman named Helga who spent her life healing wounds brought about by more than just swords and spells.

-0-

The Weasley family had always been a large one, and their sixth son was welcomed into it on a pleasant day in March. Much like his five other brothers, he came into the world screaming for all he was worth, though he calmed down once handed to his mother. As brown eyes flickered around the room and its occupants, he was introduced to his new family and met with brilliant smiles and mischievous grins.

Ronald Bilius Weasley swore to always cherish his family, because he remembered when he went by the name of Godric and didn't have one.

-0-

With a prophecy already looming over his head, the Potter's only child was born in secrecy. Bright green eyes took in the strained faces of his parents, godfather and the mediwitch and closed in regret.

It wasn't the first time Harry James Potter had seen such strain, and his life as a man named Salazar had taught him that the first sign was _never_ the last.

-0-

On an almost happy night in October, the world came crashing down and the Wizarding World entered a new era which a boy of prophecy had created.

And, together with three others, that same boy planned to change it again.

-0-0-

_Home_

-0-0-

Hermione Granger had always known she would be going to Hogwarts. When the owl had come, she'd taken the letter like it was an everyday occurrence and sat down to read the list of supplies she'd need. When her Muggle parents asked her what had just happened, Hermione blushed and set her letter to the side to explain the Wizarding World to them. Wisely, she left out how she knew everything she did, but since all her knowledge was from the medieval era, she couldn't explain the modern era to her parents.

A trip to Diagon Alley for her wand, piles of books and a newspaper subscription plus a month added together to catch Hermione up on the millennium worth of history she'd missed. When her parents and she got to the Hogwarts Express, she felt certain that she could handle this new world with little pause.

It was by chance, really, that Hermione came across the very compartment that Susan Bones was hiding in before an empty one. When the two saw one another through the glass of the closed door, they froze, then Hermione threw the door open and hurried over to give Susan a hug, whispering, "Helga," into straight black hair.

Susan hugged Hermione back desperately. "Oh, Row, it's been so long..." she said sadly into bushy brown hair. The two drew apart to speak when Hermione's father cleared his throat from the doorway.

Hermione blushed and faced her parents nervously. "Mum, Dad, this is my good friend–"

"Susan," Susan stepped in smoothly. "Susan Bones. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione's parents traded smiles. "It's nice to see that Hermione won't be without friends at this new school," Hermione's mother commented with a bright smile.

"Of course she won't," Susan replied easily with a gentle smile.

With a few more words of chatter and a bit of huffing and puffing on Hermione's father's part, Hermione's trunk was up out of the way and her parents were off to return home.

With a relieved sigh, Hermione settled into the seat next to Susan. "Goodness. It's wonderful to see you again, Helga. Do you think we'll meet up with Ric and Sal before we get to the school?"

Susan smiled. "Oh, I hope so. It just wouldn't be the same if we returned to the castle separated." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, then added, "And _please_ try not to start a fight with Sal the moment you see him?"

Hermione grimaced. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything. You know how he gets under my skin."

"Well, yes. But he gets under _all_ of our skin, Row. You just have to learn to let it go."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and commented, "The moment he starts spouting his anti-Muggle nonsense, I'm going to hex him."

Susan rolled her eyes. "So you're a Muggleborn?"

"Yes." Hermione sighed. "He's going to throw a fit, won't he?"

"I honestly cannot answer that," Susan said with infinite patience. "I hope that the modern era has mellowed him out some, but you know how stubborn he can be."

"Do I ever," Hermione agreed, then shook her head. "What about you?"

"Ah..." Susan winced. "Pureblood. My father is one of those high-up, all-mighty pureblood elitists that rule the Ministry. Mother isn't quite as bad, but she's up there too. My Aunt Amelia is much better; she's Head of the DMLE, but not even she can get Father to see the other side of things."

"So now _you're_ the one who'll have to pretend you don't know us because of your family."

"I refuse to let the opinions of my parents dictate who I'm friends with," Susan replied with a frown. "Anyway, if my parents knew you were a Founder, they would hardly care how pure your blood was or how high up in the Ministry your family was."

"Oh dear. How did you survive them?"

Susan smiled. "Practise."

Hermione laughed at that.

-0-0-0-

Harry Potter could not have been happier to get away from his Muggle family. He wondered if there was any way to get permission to spend his summers at Hogwarts. He knew they had once allowed students to spend all their holidays at the school if a student didn't want to go home. Considering who he was to the witches and wizards of this era, he could probably manage to get the Headmaster to let him stay, even if they didn't usually allow students to spend the summer any more.

Harry was careful to neither sneer at any of the Muggles in the station or brush against them if he could. In his mind, he could hear Rowena's angry words at his dislike of the non-magical humans of the world, but he squashed the voice. Rowena simply couldn't understand. No matter where he was, he found Muggles worth dabbling in the Dark Arts. First the rape and murder of his angelic little sister, now the Dursleys. Fate must really love fucking him over.

Ahead of him, he heard a voice talking about Muggles and made an effort to catch up. When he saw the family of redheads, he almost crashed into a nearby sign. "Godric..." he breathed before narrowing his eyes and moving quickly to intercept the party, which had stopped in front of a wall. "Ex–Excuse me?" Harry said in a false nervous voice as one of the older red-headed boys disappeared into the wall.

The kindly woman who had been herding the flock of redheads turned to him with a gentle smile. "Yes, dear?" she said as Ronald Weasley turned as well and his mouth dropped open in shock.

Harry barely kept in a snicker at his old friend's floored look. "I'm not certain how to get onto the platform for the train, see..." he said, still sounding nervous and even a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, poor dear," the woman said. "Well, it's very simple. All you have to do is go through this wall and the platform's on the other side. Here, watch as Fred goes through. Fred, dear." She waved at the only boy left besides Ronald and Harry. The boy went through with a grin. "Would you like to try now, dear?" the woman asked Harry.

"Yes, thank you," Harry murmured politely, then took his turn through the barrier.

Almost as soon as he was through, Ronald swept through behind him. "You great prat!" Ronald called, then descended upon Harry with a 'manly' hug.

Harry smirked at his friend. "You should have seen the look on your face, Ric. You looked like Row had just said she hated Muggleborns."

Ronald rolled his eyes. "In your dreams. Speaking of Row, have you seen her or Helga yet?"

Harry frowned and motioned that they should continue on towards the train. "No, but I've been stuck in the Muggle world..."

"Ha-ha!"

Harry gave Ronald a withering look. "Don't look so pleased. I've more reasons to hate them, now."

Ronald grimaced. "Bloody hell, Sal. Give it a rest, would you?"

Before Harry could respond to that, twin redheads popped out of the train door they were approaching. "Need help getting those on?" they asked as one.

Ronald narrowed his eyes at the two. "And let you hex my trunk? Not in this lifetime," he retorted. When he saw Harry's curious look, he said, "My brothers, Fred and George."

"Ah." Harry smiled at them. "Well, you can certainly handle my trunk if you want; it's already hexed."

"Paranoid bastard," Ronald muttered, to which Harry replied with a smirk.

"Ah, why not."

"It's not like you'll be able to handle it yourself," the twins commented, eyeing Harry's slight frame.

Scowling, Harry helped Ronald pick his trunk up and the four stumbled into the train and started down a corridor to look for a compartment.

As luck would have it, the four boys came across the compartment Hermione and Susan were chatting in before they came across an empty one, so Ronald slid the door open and jokingly said, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Ric! And Sal!" Hermione said, then hurried forward to hug Ronald and smile over his shoulder at Harry. "Well, come in!"

Together, the three Weasleys and the mostly useless Harry got the trunks up on the luggage racks, then the three Weasleys left to say good-bye to their mother and sister.

Harry settled into a seat across from Susan with a groan. "Well, how have you two been?" he asked with a wan smile.

Susan and Hermione traded worried looks and Susan said, "Sal, why are you so small?"

Harry eyed Hermione warily, then muttered, "My Muggle relatives."

Hermione started puffing up to start an argument so Susan quickly said, "What happened, Sal? Let him talk, Row."

Hermione shook her head. "Why should I? He's obviously just going to speak poorly of them again."

"Row, you don't know that," Susan tried.

"I do! I've known Sal for thirty-two years and all he ever has to say about Muggles is horrible things!"

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and sneered. "I had a most _excellent_ primary school teacher, I'll have you know. She was a Muggle and I liked her fine."

Hermione stared at Harry like he'd grown another head and Susan sighed. "There, see? Sal doesn't only complain."

"And what did this teacher do to win your unending support?" Hermione snapped once she'd regained control of her vocal cords.

"She put my cousin in time-out for giving me a bloody nose," Harry snapped. "And she was the only person in that _entire school_ who cared enough to even _attempt_ to protect me from him. And then she got _fired_."

"Oh dear..." Susan murmured as Hermione stared at Harry in shock again.

Ronald chose that moment to walk back into the compartment. He took one look at the three of them, then fell into the seat next to Harry with a groan. "Can't you two go _five minutes_ without fighting?"

"The topic of Muggles was brought up," Harry said coldly by way of explanation.

Ronald groaned again and thumped his head on the back of his seat a couple of times. "Wonderful. And what did we decide?"

"That I never seem to come across the right Muggles," Harry quipped, then sneered at Hermione. "And Rowena always meets the right ones."

"That's not true!" Hermione said quickly. "All of the kids in my primary school hated me because I was smarter than them!"

"Poor little Rowena," Harry mocked.

"Shut up, Salazar!"

"Hey!" Ronald jumped between the two when Hermione got to her feet, wand out. "Stop it! This is no place for one of your spats!"

Susan sighed and reached over to pluck Hermione's wand from her hand. Seeing her, Ronald did the same to Harry, then settled back into his seat to let Susan take over, "Godric's right. This is no place for one of your fights. There are children on this train who have never used a wand before, and I doubt anyone else knows enough to protect themselves if you start firing spells. Why don't you calm down and _talk_ about everything."

Harry and Hermione traded glares.

Susan sighed again and Ronald rolled his eyes. "So, Helga, how's life been treating you?"

Susan smiled. "Well enough. My parents are a bit self-important, but we get along fairly well. You?"

"Ah, my family's poor as a pureblood family can be, but we get on good. Got any siblings?"

"One, yes. My little brother. He's five years younger than us. And you?"

"Five elder brothers, one little sister." Ronald turned to Hermione. "Row? How about you?"

Hermione crossed her arms defensively and shot the quietly frowning Harry a look. "I'm an only child. My parents are dentists."

"What's that?" Ronald asked curiously.

Hermione frowned. "How to put this in our terms?"

"They're healers that specialise in teeth," Harry offered quietly, still frowning.

"Ah," Ronald said. "And you, Sal?"

Harry shrugged. "I live with my Muggle relatives as their house-elf."

Ronald froze while Susan and Hermione looked like they didn't want to believe their friend. Ronald cleared his throat. "Um, Sal?"

In response, Harry lifted his fringe, revealing the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "My aunt and uncle think my parents got what they deserved," he added after a long moment of shocked silence.

Ronald let out a heavy breath. "You really _do_ meet up with the worst Muggles, don't you?"

Harry's only response was a sneer.

Susan cleared her throat carefully. "Well, then. Uhm..."

Hermione cut in with, "So are we going to have to tie you up to keep you from following in your heir's steps?"

"Only if you don't want me killing him," Harry replied coldly.

Hermione looked surprised. "But he's as anti-Muggle as you!"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "And if he hadn't killed my parents, I wouldn't have been living with abusive Muggles."

"Ah, point," Ronald murmured with a wince.

Susan tugged on a lock of her hair. "Well, then. How does it feel to be going back to Hogwarts after all this time away?"

"Very weird," Ronald said quickly, looking glad to have an opening for a subject that wasn't Muggle-related. "I mean, I've been living in a magical house and all, but nothing's quite the same as Hogwarts!"

"Imagine how much it's changed!" Hermione added, happy to move on from the previous subject.

"I can't wait," Susan agreed, smiling. "How about you, Sal?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm just glad to be out of that house."

"Oh, come on, Sal," Ronald said, smiling.

"We get to be students at the school we created!" Hermione added excitedly.

"It'll be different than being an apprentice," Harry allowed grudgingly.

"And imagine," Susan said, "we get to be students in our own Houses!"

"But should we really be in our own Houses?" Hermione said with a thoughtful frown on her face. "I mean, yes, we'd be playing to our strengths..."

"It _would_ be nice to see things the way each other sees things," Ronald agreed with a nod. "Row and Sal could switch Houses, while Helga and I do the same."

"No," said Harry. "Ric, loyalty is almost as much your strength as courage. And being in the House of knowledge would be too much of a home for me, as well. Perhaps, we should each go to the House which has the traits we most lack."

"So, I would probably go into Row's House?" Ronald said, scrunching his nose in distaste.

"It would be for the best," Harry agreed.

"That means you'll have to live with the weak-willed loyal kids," Hermione said mockingly, referring to what Salazar had once called Helga's House.

"Yes, but you'll be forced to spend seven years with Muggle haters," Harry snapped back, eyes flashing.

"You're never getting your wands back," Ronald muttered under his breath.

"Oh, dear..." Susan murmured, looking uncertain. "Does that mean I have to try and be brave?"

The four friends blinked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing and the ridiculous idea of someone being afraid of being courageous.

"You'll be fine, Helga," Hermione said with a smile. She then hugged Susan while Ron and Harry rolled their eyes, each thinking, 'Girls'.

A knock came on the door to their cabin and Ron, who was closest, pushed it open to reveal a sandy-haired boy. "Have an-any of you s-seen a t-toad?" the boy asked, shaking faintly.

"No, I'm afraid not," Susan said kindly as she pulled from Hermione's grasp. "Did you lose one?"

The boy nodded. "He was given to me by my uncle."

"What's his name?" Harry asked, standing coolly.

"T-Trevor," the boy said, shaking slightly.

Harry frowned at the boy briefly before shaking his head and holding out his hand to Ronald. "Ric, my wand."

Ronald rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed the stick of holly over. "What are you going to do?"

Harry sighed and turned back to the boy in the doorway. "You're Neville Longbottom?"

"Y-yes!" the boy said, surprised.

"I'm Harry. Our parents were friends," Harry said, then waved his wand, saying, "_Accio_ Trevor."

"Harry Potter?" Neville squeaked just before a brown creature zoomed into Harry's hand. "Trevor!"

"Yes," Harry agreed to both, handing the toad over. "Whatever happened to your parents? I don't know much after my imprisonment."

"Imprisonment?!" Hermione replied, displeased.

"Th-they're in St. Mungo's," Neville said quietly. "The Lestranges _Crucio_ed them."

Harry's eyes softened as the other three behind him gasped. "You have my condolences."

Neville nodded, hugging his toad to his chest. "Thank you. For Trevor."

"You're welcome," Harry replied, then glanced over his shoulder. "Would you like to join us, or...?"

Neville peeked over Harry's shoulder at the rest of the room. "Uhm, well..."

"You're welcome to sit with us, Neville," Susan said. "I'm Susan Bones, by the way."

"Hermione Granger," Hermione offered with a bright smile.

"Ron Weasley," Ronald said, nimbly plucking Harry's wand from his fingers again.

"Ric..." Harry said warningly, turning to glare at his friend.

Ronald smiled winningly. "You'll get this back at the Sorting. I don't trust you not to attack Row again."

Harry and Hermione eyed each other while their other two friends rolled their eyes.

"Please, ignore those two and come in," Susan offered to Neville, who was still standing in the door and clutching at his toad.

Neville offered a wavering smile. "Th-thanks, but I think I'll g-go back to my own compartment," he decided, then turned and left them.

"You scared the poor kid off," Ronald informed Harry and Hermione.

Hermione stuck her nose in the air haughtily in response to that.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We can't run around Hogwarts calling each other by our real names, you know."

"I guess you're right..." Ronald murmured, eyeing his three friends. "People will think we're mad if we call each other the names of the Founders."

"Oh... Well, I'm Susan at home," Susan said, blushing faintly. "Goodness, this will take some getting used to..."

"Right, Ron's what everyone in my family calls me," Ronald said, nodding.

"Hermione," Hermione said. "Although, knowing you lot, it'll be shortened by the time we get to the school."

"I'm fond of 'Mione, I think," Ronald decided, trying to look thoughtful.

"I'm beginning to wonder if we'll actually manage to last a year in each others' Houses," Harry commented drily. "I'm called any number of names at home, most not fit for current company, but my birth name was Harry."

"Oh, yes, Sa– er, _Harry_, sorry, has a point," Susan commented. "I don't think my Puffs will survive seven years with him."

"And my snakes will probably kill 'Mione in her sleep," Harry agreed darkly. "No offence, 'Mione."

Hermione cringed at the reminder that she was a Muggle-born and considering spending seven years in a House that would happily lynch her. "None taken. Perhaps we could consider being placed in each others' Houses for only the first year?"

"And then what?" Ronald asked. "Go to our proper Houses?"

Harry shook his head, eyes bright with a plot. "We could keep switching Houses. Each try and see what the others see. And in our fourth year, we can return to our own Houses with a better understanding of the others."

"That almost sounded like an idea _I_ would have had," Susan commented, yellow eyes dancing.

Harry sneered at her.

"Oh, stop it." Ronald shook his head. "I think it's a fine idea. But how will we decide which House to go to next?"

"The one we're next least likely to be in?" Susan suggested.

"So, I'd be Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, then Hufflepuff?" Ronald asked, brown eyes bright.

"Ooh, and I'd be Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor," Hermione declared, practically bouncing in her seat.

"I suppose anyone that fights with Sal so much _must_ be more brave than loyal," Susan said with a sad sigh. "That makes me a Gryffindor, then a Ravenclaw and then a Slytherin?"

"And I must be a Hufflepuff, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw," Harry agreed. "Lovely. I _always_ wanted to live with a bunch of headstrong idiots."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ronald decided.

Harry grinned evilly.

"Oiy! Don't go too hard on them, yeah?" Ronald begged. "I mean, I'm sure enough of them can give as good as they take – like my brothers – but that's no reason to go about tormenting the rest of them."

"I'd be more worried about the Hufflepuffs," Susan said, chewing on her lower lip. "Oh, Harry, please don't do any harm to my children?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Like I'm really going to wreck mayhem on your Houses. It may be fun at the time, but I'm not suicidal – the lot of you would make sure I never heard the end of it."

"Hm, retribution. Has promises," Ronald mused.

Susan giggled while Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes.

A knock came at the door and Ronald, who was closer, opened it. A cheerful woman stood there with a cart of snacks. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"Oh, I wish..." Ronald whispered, looking hopefully at the cart.

Harry pulled out his moneybag and shook the contents out into his hand in tandem with Susan. The two traded knowing looks, then held the money out and said, "A bit of everything, I think."

Once the woman left, the group happily dug into their hoard, Ronald cheerfully splitting the sandwich his mother had packed him. The four were laughing and trading chocolate frog cards when the door opened with a bang and a smug blond boy looked in. "Word's out that Harry Potter's on the train. I hear that's you," he said, looking pointedly at Harry.

Harry cocked his head to one side, then sneered. "And who might _you_ be, boy?"

The boy stuck his nose up importantly. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He eyed Ronald with obvious distaste. "And you must be a _Weasley_." He turned back to Harry, completely ignoring Ronald's rising temper and the narrowing eyes of Hermione and Susan. "You'll soon find, Potter, that _some_ wizarding families aren't as good as others. I can help you there."

Harry smiled and put a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder to keep him from standing and attacking the blond. "While I appreciate your concern, Draco, I believe I've found myself enough variety to last a while. But I'm sure we'll see each other in Slytherin. Until then, if you don't mind, I'm rather enjoying mingling. I'm sure you understand the need to feel superior," he finished, nodding to the two thugs behind the boy.

Draco sneered. "Very well, Potter. Perhaps, if you make it into Slytherin, we might... discuss this more." He shot Ron one last disgusted look before spinning and walking off.

"Slimy little..."

"Ronald," Hermione said warningly.

"Bad blood, then?" Harry inquired, amused.

"The Weasley/Malfoy feud has been going on since not long after our deaths," Susan offered with an equally amused smile. "I wasn't aware you planned on adding to it, though, Ron."

Ronald huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "His dad regularly threatens my dad at the Ministry. It's hard not to become part of the problem when the problem is in your home."

Harry grimaced and laid a gentle hand on Ronald's shoulder. "I know," he said softly.

Ronald smiled at him. "Yeah."

"Oh! And who are you?" Susan said suddenly. Everyone turned to see that she was holding a rat in her hands.

Ronald groaned. "Scabbers."

Harry narrowed his eyes and, before Ronald could take his rat back, snatched the rat from Susan and _squeezed_ it. "You rotten traitor. You sold them out, didn't you?"

"Salazar!" Hermione cried, while Ronald tried to grab his pet back. "No!"

"Sal, give him back!" Ronald tried, desperately grabbing for the rat who's eyes were popping slightly. "He's my _pet_!"

"He's an Animagus named Peter Pettigrew, actually," Harry said in a voice that was slowly calming as he relaxed his hold on the rat a bit. "He was my family's Secret Keeper, and he sold us out to my Heir. Then he framed my godfather, who is now rotting in Azkaban." Next to him, Ronald had frozen in horror.

Susan took out her wand and pointed it at the rat. "May I?" she asked the two boys. When both nodded, she said, "_Animagi Revealo_!"

The rat glowed a sickly brown, as did the four children, who had all been Animagi in their former lives, an ability which had, clearly, been passed on.

"How are you sure he's this Pettigrew?" Ronald asked in a whisper as Susan quickly cast a body-bind on the rat.

Harry bared his teeth at the rat. "I've seen him transform," he said. "And his _smell_..."

The other three traded understanding looks; Salazar Slytherin had been a snake, and the serpent's ability to smell things by tasting them had been one Salazar himself had developed in his human form.

"Okay," Susan decided, gently prying Harry's fingers away from the rat so she could take it. "We'll give him to one of the professors when we get to the school, Sal. For right now, let's pretend he's not here, okay?"

Ronald let out a nervous laugh as soon as Susan had put Pettigrew in a pocket. "How the hell are we planning to explain this?"

The four children traded worried looks. "I have no idea," Hermione whispered.

-0-0-0-

As soon as they exited from the train, the four friends ran to where Hagrid, who Harry had met previously, was calling all the first years over.

"Hagrid!" Harry called, coming to a stop at the half-giant's side.

Hagrid grinned down at him. "Alright there, Harry?"

"No!" Harry declared, waving Susan over. "Hagrid, we found Peter Pettigrew on the train!"

Hagrid looked at the two children oddly, as Ronald and Hermione were standing back. " 'Arry," he told the boy, "Peter Pettigrew is dead. Died ten years ago. E'eryone knows that."

"But, Hagrid!" Harry tried, but Hagrid had already turned back to the other first years and was making sure they were all there.

Susan rested a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sal," she whispered.

"We'll give him to the Headmaster," Hermione said firmly. "He's Head of the Wizengamot."

"I _hate_ being a child," Harry hissed, green eyes glowing angrily.

"I know," Ronald agreed. "Come on. Let's go see Hogwarts." He nodded to where Hagrid was leading the other first years down a dark path.

The four Founders quietly followed the half-giant. Ahead of them, they could hear the sounds of awe. When they finally caught sight of the castle, all four had to stop. They grabbed each others' hands and just stared.

"We're home," Susan whispered.

Almost as if on cue, the wards brushed the four children and immediately flared, lighting up the path the other students were following and the Black Lake. Hogwarts happily welcomed her creators home and begged them to hurry to her, so she could welcome them properly.

"Don't fall behind, now!" Hagrid called back to the four, who were still standing and staring at the castle.

"Come on," Harry said tightly, feeling tears gather in the corners of his eyes. "Let's go meet her."

Together, the four walked over to the waiting boats. Once they were in, the fleet took off towards the castle.

Once they stepped onto the worn stones of the castle docks, the four Founders had to again stop and let Hogwarts' magic brush against them and wrap around them soothingly. Harry felt bruises from the past month fade to nothing while the sense of _home_ filled him. Ron felt as if his mother had wrapped him in one of her wonderful hugs, safe and warm. Susan felt as though she'd returned to the past, where the other Founders were her family and protected her from those who meant them all harm. Hermione felt as if she'd walked into an ancient library, knowledge waiting for her to find it.

Hagrid coughed and the four were shaken from the castle's soothing hold. They all shot him glares, but continued forward to where McGonagall was leading the rest of their year mates into the castle proper.

_'There will be time,'_ Hogwarts seemed to say. _'I'm not going anywhere.'_

The four smiled at the irony of that statement and let themselves be led to the room where first years were to wait to be Sorted.

They were quickly led into the Great Hall and stood together to wait for Susan to be called to the Hat. When she was, she walked up to it calmly and let it be placed upon her head.

_'Helga!'_ the Hat practically cried. _'Oh, my, it's wonderful to see you again. And the other three are here too? Wonderful. Oh! You wish to be place in each others' Houses?'_

_'And trade between them for a few years, if you please,'_ Susan requested with a smile.

_'Difficult. It's never been done before, certainly, but with you four...'_ the Hat seemed to smile, then shouted, "GRYFFINDOR! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

The Hall fell completely silent and everyone turned to stare at Susan, who removed the Hat and smiled at it fondly.

Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. "This is new. Hat?"

The Hat turned to face the Headmaster, still in Susan's hands. "She asked," it said.

Susan laughed at that and left the Hat with a last fond pat, then skipped over to where the Gryffindors were staring at her in shock.

After a long moment, McGonagall went back to calling names. Everyone seemed to be calming down when Hermione was called. She walked calmly up to the Hat and gently set it on her head. _'Hello, Hat. How have you been, these past thousand years?'_

_'Oh, well enough, considering I'm just fabric,'_ the Hat replied happily. _'And it's an absolute delight to have you four back, you know. This world could do with a bit of stir.'_

_'We intend to stir them, without a doubt. Don't you worry, old friend.'_

_'Oh, I don't,'_ the Hat said with relish. "SLYTHERIN! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

Once again, the Hall was stunned into silence. Hermione simply kissed the old hat on the top of its pointed tip, then walked over to the Slytherin table, ignoring the nasty looks she was receiving from Salazar's snakes.

McGonagall recovered much faster the second time and hurried down the list until she reached Harry. The boy walked up to the Hat and stopped a few steps away, disgusted by the whispers. The Hat's brim widened with a knowing smile and declared, "HUFFLEPUFF! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

"Thank you," Harry told the Hat, then turned and walked over to the staring Hufflepuff table, smirking at a laughing Ronald on his way.

After McGonagall had, once again, regained her voice, she called out the next student. The Sorting was, again, normal. And then Ronald was called.

Ronald walked up to the Hat and set it on his head with a grin. _'Oh, this feels so right. I wonder if I could keep you? These silly student caps are so...'_

_'Not me?'_ the Hat responded happily. _'I know. I suppose we can ask Albus.'_

_'Mmmm... He won't say no, you think?'_

_'Only way to know is to ask, Godric,'_ the Hat reminded his creator. "RAVENCLAW! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR! Hey, Headmaster? When I'm done Sorting the last boy, could I spend some time with Ronald?"

The Headmaster just stared at the Hat for a long moment, like the rest of the Hall. When the Hat coughed, the Headmaster finally said, "I don't see why not."

"Wicked," Ronald said. "I'll see you in two ticks," he told the Hat, then set it back on the stool – where it waited for Blaise Zabini to be called up – and walked over to the curious gazes of the Ravenclaws.

Once Zabini had been Sorted to Slytherin, McGonagall brought the Hat over the Ronald and warned him to take _very_ good care of it. Ronald solemnly agreed, then put the Hat on his head, where they spent the entire dinner chatting about Sorting greasy-haired students and large families.

When Dumbledore dismissed the students, the four Founders silently agreed to approach the man in the morning about Pettigrew, then followed the Prefects to their new rooms. They fell asleep in the comforts of soft beds, embraced by Hogwarts.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Goodness! That was a long chapter! But it was fun to write, once I got past a few tight spots.

I hope everyone enjoys this fic. It'll probably take time to update – certainly not an every-week fic, like I intend Broken and _Wand and Dagger_ to be – but the chapters will likely be all the longer for it.

Cheers!  
~Bats ^.^x


	2. Socially Acceptable

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Undecided (but, uh, just for reference, the Founders are friends. They're not suddenly going to develop feelings for each other.)  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** Just realized that Harry's going to be in Gryffindor when Colin Creevy comes to Hogwarts. There may be blood.

-0-0-_  
Socially Acceptable  
_-0-0-

The four Founders were woken by the castle as the sun peeked over the mountains to the east. They all got up without complaint and got dressed, then met outside the Room of Requirement. When they walked into the waiting room, they found a young woman made of living stone, smiling at them. "Hello," she said.

"Hello, Hogwarts," Ronald replied, smiling back.

The Founders conjured chairs and sat before their creation, all smiling and feeling content to sit in silence for a long moment.

Finally, Hogwarts asked, "What brings you back, my parents?"

The students traded looks. "We're not sure," Harry said. "We simply woke to this world eleven years ago, knowing who we were."

"The Hat said something about causing a stir," Hermione added, eyeing the Hat, which sat happily on Ronald's head. "Speaking of, when was the last time you had a bath, you ridiculous piece of headwear?"

"Knowing it?" Harry offered drily. "Never."

"I get hit with a Cleaning Charm once a year," the Hat informed them. "Although, considering where you fall in the alphabet, Salazar, I'm not surprised you refused to put me on." It smirked at him.

Harry sneered back. "Watch it, Hat. I know how to silence you."

"Sal!" Ronald cried, taking the Hat off to hug it protectively. "Don't listen to him, Hat. I won't let him and his little wand anywhere near you."

"Speaking of wands!" Hogwarts said, and four wands popped out of the stonework in front of her. When the four children gave her startled looks, she smiled smugly. "I kept them after the battle," she told them, sounding quite pleased with herself. "Hat and I thought you might come back."

Harry reached forward and gently grasped his first. He gasped at the rush of power and rightness the blackthorn and basilisk egg shell wand gave him. He fingered the vines curling up the shaft and swallowed. "Thank you, Hogwarts," he managed.

Hermione leaned forward to grab her own wand of ash and griffin feather, while Susan called her wand of hazel and a sliver of unicorn horn – willingly given – to her by the magic she'd imbued in it as Helga. Ronald set the Hat to one side and slipped out of his chair a bit to grab his own wand, oak and the heartstring of a Common Welsh Green. All three echoed Harry's pleasure at having their wands back.

"You're most welcome," Hogwarts told them happily. "It was the least I could do, after you gave your lives to protect me."

The Founders traded looks, remembering that last horrible battle for the right to teach magical children whatever they wished, where they wished it. Their enemies had been a group of Muggle villagers with pitchforks and fires. The four Founders had gone out to try and talk peace with them, but it had quickly turned into a minor war. They'd managed to hold off the mob long enough for the other members of staff and the few older students to bring up wards to keep the Muggles away before succumbing to death.

"Can we talk about something a little less... depressing?" Ronald pleaded, looking pale.

"Hogwarts?" Harry asked, leaning forward. "Is the Headmaster up yet?"

Hogwarts tilted his stone head to one side. "Yes. He should be heading to the Great Hall for breakfast shortly."

Harry nodded and turned to Susan. "You have the traitor with you?"

Susan blinked, then shook her head with a helpless smile. "Of course. Are we off, then?"

Harry stood, vanishing his chair with a jerk of his old wand. He spared a pleased smile for how quickly it responded, compared to his phoenix wand, then led the way from the room.

Susan sighed, vanishing her own chair. "We'll see you around, Hogwarts. And thank you. Again."

Hogwarts smiled. "Of course," she said, then faded into the floor as the other two stood and followed Harry from the room.

The four students found Dumbledore as he was leaving his office. He looked surprised, briefly, when he saw them, but smiled all the same. "What can I do for you, children?"

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Dumbledore coolly. "We found out of the train that Ron's rat is the supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew. Hagrid wouldn't listen when we told him, so we're bringing him to you. He betrayed my parents, not Sirius."

Dumbledore looked absolutely shocked for a moment before covering it. "Do you have him here?" he asked the students. When all four nodded, he waved them back up into his office, where he asked, "Where is he, then?"

Harry eyed him suspiciously, then nodded to Susan, who rolled her eyes at him and pulled out the bound rat. She handed him over to the Headmaster, who cast the spell to turn Pettigrew back into a human.

At the sight of the rat's human form, Dumbledore gave a terrible sigh and looked back at the children. "Thank you for bringing this to me, children."

"Will you call the aurors?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore eyed Harry curiously. "Of course. But aren't you four hungry?"

Harry glanced back at his friends and grinned when Ronald gave him a pleading look. "I think Ron is," he told the Headmaster, earning him a pained groan from his friend.

"Glutton," Hermione informed their friend. "Don't you _ever_ get enough to eat?"

"No," Ronald almost whined. "Harry, mate, I don't care if you stay up here, but can the rest of us get some food?"

Harry shrugged. At Dumbledore's sharp look, he snapped, "I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure my godfather is free from that horrid place. I don't think I _could_ stomach anything, knowing what he's facing. It was hard enough last night."

Susan's gentle hand rested on Harry's shoulder. "Ron, 'Mione, why don't you two head down? I'll stay with Harry."

"Sure thing, Susan," Hermione agreed, then let herself be dragged from the office by Ronald.

Harry covered Susan's hand with his own, a silent 'thank you' to his most loyal and steadfast friend. "Headmaster?"

Dumbledore sighed and walked over to his fireplace. While he was busy with the Floo, Harry took out his old wand and cast a silent _Obliviate_ at the lying rat, erasing his knowledge of the four teens' past identities.

"I should have thought of that," Susan whispered, shaking her head.

Harry grinned. "Sneaky thinking is _my_ job, Susan. _You're_ the nice one."

Susan snorted and gently swatted his arm. "Slimy bastard."

"Oiy! My parents were married, thanks," Harry whispered back.

"Yeah. _This_ time."

Before Harry could come up with a good retort to that, Dumbledore stepped back and three men stepped through the Floo. One wore a bright green bowler hat – "Minister Fudge," Susan hissed with disgust – while the other two wore uniform auror battle robes.

As soon as Fudge saw them, his eyes brightened and he bustled over. "Harry Potter! A pleasure! I'm the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge," he said, holding out his hand with a jovial smile.

Harry eyed the offered hand like it was covered in slime. "You'll have my godfather freed from Azkaban, correct?" he asked, looking up at the Minister through narrowed eyes.

Fudge looked a little taken aback and not a little nervous. "Well, my boy, it's a bit more difficult than th–"

Susan stepped forward, looking every inch the highbred pureblood she'd been raised as this time around. "Minister, save us your bureaucratic nonsense. My aunt told me that Sirius Black never got a trial; he shouldn't have been in Azkaban in the first place."

"The evidence against him was overwhelming," Fudge tried.

"_What_ evidence?" Harry asked, killing curse green eyes narrowed.

"Harry," Dumbledore cautioned, coming over to the three while the aurors took Pettigrew back through the Floo.

Harry's eyes practically blazed, but he held his tongue.

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Cornelius, surely we can have Sirius Black transported from Azkaban to auror headquarters until Pettigrew has been properly questioned? Even the fact of him being alive brings a number of the events of that week into question. At the very least, doesn't Sirius deserve a proper trial?"

"Well..." Fudge hedged.

Harry smiled winningly and said, "Wouldn't the wizarding public like a Minister who tries to clean up the messes of his predecessor? Especially something for the Boy-Who-Lived."

Dumbledore eyed Harry with a touch of suspicion again, but Fudge puffed his chest up and tried to look very important. "Yes, of course, Mr Potter. I'll see to it right away that Black is brought over and his case is reopened. We _must_ get to the bottom of this error. Yes." He turned and walked over towards the fireplace. "Good afternoon, Dumbledore! Busy, busy!"

Harry smirked as the green flames swallowed the idiot up, then turned to look up at the Headmaster innocently. "Thank you for all your assistance, Headmaster," he said politely, then led Susan from the office.

"Salazar..." Susan muttered, not sure if she was swearing like the modern wizards and witches did, or telling him off.

Harry snickered and grinned at her. "Did you see that, Helga?" he said, eyes bright with excitement. "Sirius will soon be freed. I don't have to return to those disgusting Muggles!" He grabbed her hands and swung them around in a circle, laughing happily.

Susan smiled and drew the happy boy into a tight hug. "It's wonderful, Sal. But let's go get some food, yeah?"

Harry's eyes widened. "I have to tell Ric and Row!" he declared, then took off down the hall.

Susan laughed at her friend and followed him at a much more sedate pace.

-0-0-0-

The first week of classes proved to be rather entertaining, all things considered. The four Founders enjoyed their classes – other than History, perhaps, which made even Hermione want to cry – but were still looking forward to the weekend. It didn't help that they already knew all the spells they were learning so well, they could likely cast them in their sleep. Ronald and Harry got particularly desperate for the weekend after their first potions class on Thursday.

Harry's day had started out well; he'd finally gotten a letter, letting him know that Sirius had been officially cleared and was spending time in St Mungo's, recuperating. His friends had all been happy for him and they'd jokingly made plans to visit the man at the hospital that weekend during a bit of free time, though they weren't sure how they would manage to get off campus without being noticed.

Harry had practically skipped down to the dungeons with Ronald, who was shaking his head in amusement at his normally reserved friend's behaviour. If he'd known giving Harry a family who loved him and wasn't a Muggle would be the thing to lighten the darker wizard's mood, he would have suggested it to the girls in their past life.

When Snape had slammed the door open and ordered the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in, they had mostly crept through the doorway – Hufflepuffs were often terrified of the man, and the Ravenclaws had heard enough stories from the upper years to be as quiet and attentive as possible. Ronald, on the other hand, had walked in calmly, having heard about the man from his siblings, who had all been Gryffindors, and curious how he acted towards the two supposedly neutral Houses. Harry was just too happy to know that Sirius was free and being in the dungeons to care about acting as cowed as his fellow Housemates, who all thought he was bonkers anyway.

As soon as they were all seated, Snape took roll. He paused before Harry's name and looked up at him, lips curling with a sneer which immediately set Harry on guard. "Harry Potter. Our new... celebrity."

Harry narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, ignoring the scared looks from his Housemates and the hopeless look Ronald was sporting. Even when the Slytherin Head went back to calling roll, Harry eyed him like he was dissecting the man, trying to figure out what made him tick.

As it was, Harry wasn't the least surprised when Snape turned to him as soon as he'd finished roll and snapped out, "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry smiled coolly. "Draught of Living Death."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "And where, Potter, would you find a bezoar?"

"I would assume there would be one in the storage closet, in case someone were to accidently get poisoned," Harry replied, amused with how red Snape's face was getting. He idly wondered if he could get the man's face to go as purple as Vernon's had gone on occasion. "But they are...harvested, as it were, from the stomach of a goat."

"Monkshood and wolfsbane–"

"Are also known as aconite," Harry finished, getting a little bored with the impromptu quiz. "And if we don't get started on today's potion soon, no one's going to complete it," he added tiredly.

"Ten points from Gryff–" Snape stopped, a horrible smile coming over his features, as if something had just occurred to him. The Hufflepuffs shuddered while Ronald and the Ravenclaws stared at the man in growing horror. Harry just eyed him curiously. "No, you're a _Hufflepuff_," Snape said, sounding so _very_ pleased with that bit of knowledge.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Until next year," he agreed drily. "Then, I'm sure, you can feel free to punish Gryffindor for all my non-existent infractions." He sneered at the professor, which seemed to surprise the man. "I wonder, _sir_, who is the more immature of the two of us? You take your fury at my father – who I never knew, just for future reference – out on me. How very unprofessional."

Snape had turned a lovely shade of purple fury as Harry spoke, and the boy was quite pleased at himself for managing it. "Fifty points from Hufflepuff!" he practically roared.

Harry chuckled, making his House look at him like he'd lost his mind. Before he could said anything else, Ronald slapped his hand over his friend's mouth and hissed, "If you don't shut it _right now_, your House is going to _lynch_ you."

Harry eyed him with irritation. All four Founders had made about one hundred points each for their Houses so far because of their knowledge of all the spells and the ease with which they did them.

Snape seemed to decide Harry was done for the moment, because he stalked back up to the board and magically wrote the instructions for a boil cure potion up there. "In pairs. _Get to work_."

"I'll get the ingredients," Ronald mumbled, then go up and hurried over to the stores. Harry turned to watch him go, then set about setting up their station. While Harry hadn't taught Potions himself – he was more inclined to instruct students about Dark Arts and their Defence – he had always enjoyed the subject. And he wasn't about to let some overgrown bat with a complex ruin things for him.

Potions, much like the 'beginner spells' they learned in first and second year, hadn't changed much over the centuries – there had been advancements, of course, but not in the simple potions, like this one – so even Ronald, who had always had difficulty understanding Potions, was able to complete the potion without difficulty. This was all very good, as Snape had decided to stalk their table, which Harry found humorous in the childishness of it.

The only real danger in Snape focusing on Harry and Ronald was that he hadn't been able to spot the Hufflepuff potion two tables behind them, which melted and made a slow crawl towards where Snape was eyeing Harry. Luckily enough for the professor, one of the Ravenclaws called his attention to the seeping danger before it could reach him. Snape turned from Ronald and Harry long enough to yell at the two Hufflepuffs, then send them both off to the hospital wing with minor boils. When he turned back to Harry's table, the two boys were bottling their potion – three bottles, two of which he was careful not to let Snape see, because Harry didn't trust this man not to 'accidently' destroy their sample.

Indeed, as soon as their workspace was properly cleaned up, Snape 'accidently' knocked Harry and Ronald's potion off his desk. When it burst on the floor, Snape smirked nastily and said, "I guess that's a zero for the day, Potter."

Harry smirked right back. "On the contrary, sir, I know exactly how clumsy people can be around the potions of people they dislike. Here's another bottle." He handed it over, feeling triumphant at the furious look on Snape's face. On his way back to his table with Ronald, he heard the second bottle hit the floor and grinned evilly when it didn't break. He'd cast an unbreakable charm on it to keep it intact, in case the professor should try and break it again.

"Ten points from Hufflepuff," Snape spat, picking up the bottle.

Harry just rolled his eyes at the man's immaturity.

-0-0-0-

By the weekend, the four Founders were quite ready to skip school entirely. Even Hermione, who had been having a dreadful time of it among the Muggle-haters of Slytherin, was ready to move on.

"I never knew being a child again would be so _exhausting_," Susan complained, magically fanning herself with an essay she'd just finished. "How can they _stand_ it?"

"I assume it's because they don't know any better," Harry grumbled, staring up at the sky. "It's not like they've ever been adults before. We're the lucky ones."

"Lucky. Ha!" Ronald replied against the book of history Hermione was making him study. (She would have made Harry and Susan study it too, but Susan's parents had been strict about her learning spells and history as a child, and Harry had spent his month after getting his supplies soaking up everything he could, including a millennium worth of history, spells and potions.)

"Read that book, Godric," Hermione said warningly, briefly checking to make sure their privacy bubble was still intact.

Ronald gave her a disgusted look, but peeled his face off the page and returned to reading the print.

"I want to go see Sirius," Harry murmured. "I need to know he's okay."

Susan smiled at him and reached down a hand to run it through his hair. "I know. And I wish we could get you there–"

"Why not?" Ronald asked, sitting up and staring at the two. He deftly ducked the hand Hermione aimed at the back of his head and said, "We know the secrets of this castle better than the Headmaster, right? And Hogwarts would never deny you the right to see family."

"She'd probably hide your disappearance, too," Susan agreed, smiling. "Oh, Sal, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Harry frowned. "Yeah, but that still doesn't explain how an eleven year old got off the school grounds and to St Mungo's without a professor's approval."

"Oh..." Ronald laid back down, face in the text. "Bugger."

Hermione rolled her eyes. As far as she was concerned, as long as none of the professors or their fellow students could hear them, Ronald was old enough to use whatever language he wished, but she happily smacked him if a professor wasn't there to take points, otherwise. "Godric, read."

Ronald mumbled some choice words into the book in Gaelic, making Hermione and Susan blush and Harry snort in amusement.

"No suggestions, Row?" Harry asked, leaning up on his elbows to eye his friend.

Hermione sighed and tugged on a lock of curly hair, a sign she was thinking a problem through. "Well, I know how you are disinclined to follow rules–"

The other three snorted at that understatement.

"–and while I agree that, as the Founders, we shouldn't _have_ to follow some of their silly rules–"

"Rowena Ravenclaw? Disinclined to follow rules?" Ronald gasped theatrically, earning him a snicker from Harry and an amused eye roll from Susan.

"–but as we are _children_ in their minds, we _have_ to follow their rules," Hermione finished, then smacked the back of Ronald's head. "And watch your mouth, you annoying _cat_."

"Oiy! I'm a lion, not a cat!" Ronald complained, turning to give Hermione a wounded look.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the other, then froze, eyes brightening with an idea. "Wait. Of course..."

"Well? Share with the rest of the class," Harry said, waving her on.

Hermione smiled at him. "You just want to _see_ Sirius, right? You don't need to _talk_ to him?"

Harry blinked, then grinned widely and stood. "Why yes, my dear Row, I'd _love_ to go for a flight in your talons. Just don't try to eat me again, right?" He paused in his excitement to give Hermione a suspicious look.

Hermione winced, recalling the first and only time they'd gone out together in their Animagi forms; Rowena had taken Salazar's snake form out for a flight as an eagle and had almost eaten him in a moment of forgetfulness. Salazar had, of course, never let Rowena forget it. "I'm much better now," she said.

Harry considered her. "Well, you've had at least ten years more practise, so I should hope so. Hey, Hogwarts? Can you make sure no one sees us leave or return?"

_'Yes, of course. Be safe,'_ Hogwarts' voice spoke in their minds.

"Read that book, Godric. I'll quiz you when we get back," Hermione ordered Ronald, then turned into her golden eagle form and picked up Harry's bright green adder form.

Ronald groaned as the two flew off, glaring at his book. "Why does history have to be so boring, anyway?"

Susan giggled faintly and slid off the bench she'd been sitting on to kneel next to him. "Should I try and make it fun, then?"

Ronald eyed her suspiciously for a moment, before seeming to remember that Susan was the one _least_ likely to mean something other than what she said and nodded. "Please?"

"Of course. Now, what has Row got you learning..."

-0-0-0-

As soon as Hermione and Harry saw the building their people were using to hide St Mungo's in, they realized they had a problem. They landed and turned back into their human forms in an abandoned alley near the hospital, since they couldn't communicate with each other in their animal forms without eye contact – Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw had been two of the best Legilimens of their time, and were able to communicate with anyone by eye contact. Helga and Godric had also been Occlumens – they had to be, with their two best friends being such accomplished Legilimens – but they had never cared enough about the art to learn anything more than the basic Occlumency.

"So, you can't get to Sirius' window while the wards are up around the building," Harry said, eyeing Hermione with irritation.

"Yes, Sal. I don't have the Magic Sight like you and Helga do, okay? I can't see through wards, not wards this strong. And if I can't see through them, I can't land in his window."

Harry sighed and sat himself on top of a trash can. "To have come all this way..."

Hermione sighed and found a stack of cement blocks to sit on. "I'm so sorry, Sal. I know how much you wanted to see him."

Harry shook his head. "I don't suppose you'd agree to going in under magical disguise?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, because they wouldn't be watching for that."

"It was worth a try," Harry said, shrugging. "And since I doubt your metamorphing abilities followed you to this body..."

Hermione blinked at him, then blinked again. "But, they weren't useful before..."

Harry eyed her suspiciously. "Row, they let you change your apparent age. Useless as an adult, particularly one everyone recognized, but as an unknown Muggleborn..."

Hermione's eyes widened in understanding. Being a metamorph had always been something she'd considered useless, since her gift hadn't been strong enough to change her features, only her apparent age and height. But, for this, her useless ability wasn't so useless. "Merlin! Why didn't _I_ think of that?"

Harry smirked. "Because, my dear Row, you think in a straight line. I think–"

"All over the place, yes, Salazar. I know." Hermione rolled her eyes while Harry chuckled. "Very well. Are you going to be my snake familiar, then?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And, yes, I know, I can understand you, but you can't understand me. If I really need your attention, don't bite you, just lightly tap your chin with my head."

Hermione chuckled. Those had been the rules all three Founder had used back when Salazar was considered evil and he needed to go somewhere that was, for a Dark wizard such as him, socially unacceptable. They'd had to add the last rule after Salazar had bitten Godric once to get his attention. Though adder poison wasn't particularly harmful to humans, it still caused a fuss, and hurt like hell.

Hermione quickly changed her age, so she looked to be in her early twenties, then picked up Harry's adder form and draped him over her shoulders. "You know," she said conversationally as she walked from the alley, "you're much lighter as a child snake."

Harry let out a warning hiss, then some choice Parsel curses when Hermione just laughed.

They got into the hospital's waiting room without incident. At the desk, Hermione smiled winningly and asked after Mr Sirius Black. "I'm a friend of his godson's, you see," she told the wide-eyed nurse. "And Harry can't leave Hogwarts right now, so he asked me to come and see with my own eyes that he was okay. It's not that he doesn't trust the Ministry's assurances or anything..."

"Oh, no, I _completely_ understand," the nurse said, smiling a bit wryly. "After everything the Ministry's put that man through, I would want to make sure he was okay, too. I'm glad he found someone to come in and check for him, though." She directed Hermione up to the first floor, where Sirius had a private room until he'd recovered enough for the hospital staff to feel safe in letting him back into the world.

Hermione hurried up to the stated room, a cheerful snake hissing away on her shoulder. As soon as she reached the door, she froze. Should she knock? Just walk right in?

Harry ended her concerns by magically hardening his tail and rapping firmly on the door.

"That was unnecessary," Hermione told him, rolling her eyes.

Harry let out a pleased hiss and curled his tail around her neck loosely.

"Come in!" called a ragged voice. When Hermione poked her head in, she found a black-haired man sitting up in the hospital bed, blinking at her owlishly. "It's not time for lunch, then?" he asked tiredly, then fell back against his pillows. "I'm not doing any interviews, so go away."

"I'm not here for interviews," Hermione said, quietly stepping into the room and letting the door close behind here. "Harry asked me to come. To make sure you're okay."

Sirius jerked up in the bed and he stared at her, blue eyes wide. "Harry?" he whispered.

Harry hissed happily and bumped his head against Hermione's chin.

Hermione took a quick look around the room, nodded, and set Harry on the floor. "Yes," she said as said boy turned back into himself, "Harry."

Bright green eyes sparkled at Sirius' gobsmacked look. "Hello, Sirius."

"But–" Sirius shook his head. "How'd you become an Animagus? I thought you were only eleven!"

Harry shrugged. "I was being chased by my cousin and had nowhere to run. Ended up changing into a snake as a bit of accidental magic. Been able to do it since," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's explanation. While it was true that Salazar had first found his form due to a need to hide and with the help of some accidental magic, it had taken him an additional two years to recreate the transformation under normal circumstances.

Sirius, of course, didn't know that, and happily took Harry's explanation at face value. "Wicked," he declared. "Not sure about you being a snake, though..." He eyed Harry a little oddly.

Harry shrugged and pulled up a chair. "I like snakes; they're sensible."

"Right up until they bite you," Hermione agreed cheerfully, drawing forward a chair of her own.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I _did_ warn you it was there. You're the one who stepped on it."

Sirius snickered. "Alright, then. I suppose I'll forgive you being a snake. As long as you're not a slimy Slytherin."

Harry tensed slightly. He forced a smile and managed, "No, Hufflepuff, I'm afraid."

Sirius grinned. "Nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs. Plenty of Potters have been Hufflepuffs. Couple Ravenclaws, too. Mostly Gryffindors, though..."

"One of my best mates is a Gryffindor," Harry said, his smile a bit more genuine. "Real idiot, he is," he added, referring to Ronald, as he was the real Gryffindor of their group, not Susan.

Hermione snickered. "He rather is, isn't he?"

Sirius eyed Hermione curiously. "Sorry, by the way. Didn't catch your name."

"Oh, this is 'Mione," Harry said, kicking his feet happily. "She's one of my year mates."

Sirius cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at that.

"I'm a partial metamorph," Hermione explained. "I can change my height and age myself, but I can't change things like my hair and eyes."

Sirius blinked. "Unusual, that. My cousin, Nymphadora, is a metamorphmagus. Full thing."

"Lucky girl," Hermione muttered.

Harry tugged gently on Hermione's hair. "Hey, no feeling sorry for yourself, you hear? Only one in this room who's got the right to feel sorry for themselves is Sirius; he was stuck in Azkaban for ten years."

Hermione smiled at him. "Yeah, yeah."

Sirius snickered at them. "Aren't you a bit young to be dating?" he teased.

Hermione turned a bright red while Harry scowled. "I wouldn't date 'Mione if you paid me," he declared. "No offence, 'Mione."

Hermione huffed. "The feeling's mutual," she assured him. "I don't make a habit of dating my surrogate brother."

Sirius practically howled with laughter at the two of them. The children took a moment to glare at the laughing man before slowly smiling and laughing themselves. It was a rather ridiculous argument.

The three spoke a bit longer about Hogwarts, and Sirius offered stories of Harry's parents, which the boy ate up with bright eyes. Hermione had just sat there, enjoying watching her friend be happy, for once.

After about an hour, Hermione cut in, saying, "Harry, we should probably go soon. I don't know how long the others can cover our absence."

Sirius blinked. "You're not supposed to be here?"

Harry shrugged. "Didn't think I'd be allowed, so 'Mione and I worked out a way to get over here without getting caught. Ron and Susan stayed and covered for us."

Sirius grinned. "Excellent. It's good to know you're continuing with the family work."

Harry smiled. "Yeah. Got to keep those professors on their toes."

Sirius laughed again. "Well, best get back, then. Don't let McGonagall catch you."

"Sure thing," Harry agreed, clasping Sirius' hand. "I'll see you again, Sirius."

"Sure thing, kiddo. Stay safe."

"You too," Harry replied, then turned back into a snake and let Hermione pick him up.

"It was nice talking to you, Sirius," Hermione said with a smile.

"You too, 'Mione. Take care of yourself."

"Cheers," Hermione replied, then turned and left the room and the hospital.

-0-0-0-

"That took a lot longer than a 'peek'," Ronald complained once Harry and Hermione were human again.

Harry shrugged. "Row couldn't see through the wards, so we had to walk in. Talked to Sirius for a bit. He's good."

"That's good," Susan said. "Maybe you'll be able to stay with him from now on."

"Oh, I intend to," Harry assured his friends, all of whom smiled at him.

Hermione took a seat next to Ronald on the ground. "How has your studying gone, Godric?"

Ronald scowled at her a bit. "_Must_ you use my full name, Row?"

"When you're not doing your work, yes," Hermione replied, tugging the book away from him. "I said I was going to quiz you, didn't I?"

Ronald sighed. "Yeah, alright. Do your worst."

Susan and Harry chuckled behind them and settled in for the show.

-0-0-0-

On Sunday, the four friends decided to explore the castle a bit, to see what had changed. Hermione held them up a bit to talk to her daughter – she'd already made peace with the Bloody Baron earlier in the week – and they'd spent almost an hour being lost in the dungeons, while Harry laughed at them. (The other three had finally hexed Harry into showing them the way out. They'd ended up losing ten points for Ravenclaw and Gryffindor and twenty for Hufflepuff when Snape caught them, but otherwise the whole trip had been a lot of fun.)

The only major change to the school had been the addition to the third floor. Dumbledore had warned them all against poking their noses into the additional rooms at the Welcoming Feast, but the Founders hadn't really thought anything of it at the time. Now, however, they were standing down the hallway from the out-of-bounds door, eyeing it suspiciously with privacy wards up around them.

"So, they added a trapdoor, threw in a bunch of rooms, filled them with traps a third year could manage, and hid a magical stone down there that's supposedly priceless," Harry deadpanned after Hogwarts had finished answering all their questions about the addition.

"Right. And that's not the least bit suspicious," Ronald agreed. Since Ronald wasn't a suspicious person by nature, that was quite the statement.

"Why hide it behind tests?" Susan asked for all of them. "Why not just give it to Hogwarts to protect?"

"Because Albus is planning something. Obviously," the Hat said, shaking its brim in disgust. "And I wouldn't be surprised if it had to do with you, Salazar."

"Why _me_?" Harry replied, looking disgusted.

"Uhm, let's see here. Because you're the Boy-Who-Lived?" Hermione suggested sarcastically.

"Row, you sounded scarily like Sal for a moment there," Ronald commented.

"Yeah, so? I did a ritual to keep my Heirs from killing me." Harry snorted in disgust. "Any Dark wizard with any sense would have done the same."

"Yes, Sal. We know, Sal," Hermione and Ronald intoned. Susan giggled.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I still don't understand why that makes me famous," he commented. "Surviving the Killing Curse due to a ritual was common back home."

_'But this isn't home,'_ Hogwarts said. _'This is now. People don't perform those rituals anymore.'_

"She has a point," Susan agreed. "Scrolls and books with the old arts are illegal to own. I'm sure there are some hidden in your Gringotts vaults, but no one else will have them."

"They were, supposedly, all burned in the Scroll Fires of the twelve hundreds," Hermione agreed, citing a bit of the history she'd assimilated. "I seriously doubt any were pulled from your vaults, so those are likely all that's left. I mean, there might be a few other written copies, from people who remembered the rituals and rewrote them after the Fires..."

"Sorry, Sal," Ronald said with a wide smile. "You're one of a kind."

Harry sneered. "Oh, wonderful. Thanks."

"But that still doesn't explain why he'd do something so stupid," Ronald commented. "If I know my House – and I do – a three-headed dog won't keep a curious upper year out of there. In fact, they'd probably consider it a challenge."

"And precious artefact goes bye-bye," Harry agreed brightly. When the others shot him odd looks, he smirked.

"It there any way you could just hide it somewhere else, Hogwarts?" Susan asked the school. "So even if someone gets through the protections, the artefact won't be found?"

_'I wish I could, but I've been forbidden to move it,'_ Hogwarts replied.

"What?" Hermione asked, horrified. How could someone refuse Hogwarts the ability to change things in her own building?"

"Oh, I _really_ don't like this Headmaster," Harry growled. "He sets up tests – _tests_ – to guard a precious stone, then refuses to let Hogwarts place her own protections around it?"

"The hell," Ronald agreed. "I suppose we'll have to find a way to protect it ourselves, then." Brown eyes glittered brightly.

"No. No, no, no! We're not having any of your stunts, Godric Gryffindor!" Harry snapped.

"But how else are we going to protect it?" Ronald asked.

Harry turned to Hermione and Susan pleadingly. "Come on, help me out here."

"It had merit," Susan decided slowly.

Harry turned to Hermione, eyes wide. "Row, please. Talk some sense into those two?"

Hermione offered him a regretful look. "Well, Sal, if you're going to have to go get it later this year, anyway..."

_'I can transport you to the room it's being held in,' _ Hogwarts said. _'I can't transport you out again, not with the Stone, but I can open the apparation wards so you can apparate out somewhere safe.'_

"Great, even the castle's against me," Harry muttered, earning him three grins and a mental smile.

"Right," Ronald decided, taking charge. "Hogwarts, if you'd please transfer us?"

"Beam me up, Scotty," Hermione agreed happily.

Ronald and Susan looked horribly confused, but Harry muttered, "Too much muggle telly."

Before anyone could comment more on that, they were down in the room, staring at a small red stone, which was in the middle of the floor in a large room. Ronald picked it up with a grin. "Excellent."

"We should conjure a replacement," Susan said. "We don't want Dumbledore coming down here and discovering it's missing. He'd probably take it out on Hogwarts."

The other three grimaced, then shot disgusted looks up towards the Head Office.

Hermione snatched the stone from Ronald and studied it for a moment, then quickly conjured a replica in the spot it had been laying at.

"Brilliant," Ronald whispered, kneeling to eye the new stone. "It even _feels_ like the real thing."

"Row's just an ace at conjuring," Susan said, sounding proud.

Ronald and Harry traded amused looks while Hermione blushed.

"So, where are we going to hide this thing?" Hermione inquired.

"Hogwarts' Chamber?" Harry suggested.

The others blinked. "It wouldn't hurt to have such a strong magical artefact next to her core?" Susan asked.

"It shouldn't," Hermione said, eyeing the stone curiously. "It might even strengthen her core a bit."

"That's good, then," Susan decided.

"Your snake won't mind?" Ronald asked Harry, referring to the basilisk he'd set to guarding Hogwarts' magical core – her soul, as it was.

Harry cocked his head thoughtfully. "Nah. She might be a little put off by us suddenly all appearing in there at once, but she should be fine with it."

"If she's even still alive," Hermione muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Right. Are the apparation wards open, Hogwarts?"

_'Yup!'_

"Hmm... I'm beginning to think the elves are feeding her sugar again," the Hat commented jokingly.

The four Founders snorted in amusement, then apparated to the chamber where Hogwarts' core was kept. Ronald, Hermione and Susan all kept their eyes tightly closed, while Harry hissed soothingly to the basilisk they'd woken. After a long moment, Harry said, "It's safe to open your eyes."

There was a moment of silent awe before Susan whispered, "Wow. Sal, she got _big_."

Harry smiled like a happy father and gently scratched part of the ridge above the snake's eyes. "I know. Isn't she beautiful?"

"Only you, Sal," Ronald commented fondly.

Hermione huffed and turned to place the stone next to the glowing ball of rock that floated in the heart of the room. Almost immediately, a strand of energy formed between Hogwarts and the stone, and her core brightened.

_'Oooh... I like that...'_ the school commented contentedly.

The four Founders laughed and smiled fondly at the floating ball.

"So has she just been sitting down here, eating rats for a thousand years?" Susan asked Harry once they'd all quieted.

Harry hissed the question to his snake, then rapidly paled as she answered.

"What?" Hermione demanded. "What did she do?"

Harry winced. Rowena had always been against him having a dangerous creature which only he could control in a school full of children. Even if they'd placed her there to protect the school's core and, in the case of an emergency, come up and ward off any attackers that might have otherwise gotten through the wards.

"Sal?" Susan whispered, placing a hand on his arm.

"My Heir," he said, throat tight. "He thought I'd placed her here to kill off the muggleborns. He set her free. She hadn't thought anything of it; wanted to see the castle again. It was so lonely down here."

"She killed someone, didn't she?" Ronald asked, brown eyes sad.

"Yes," Harry whispered. "A girl. She was in the bathroom they built over the entrance. Ashala didn't mean to!"

"I told you," Hermione whispered furiously. "I told you she was dangerous."

"But she didn't do it on purpose!" Harry cried, hugging the snake's great head. "Row, she's hurting because of it. She doesn't want to go up again. She doesn't want to hurt another student!"

"But she did it once," Hermione hissed. "She'll forget, Salazar. She'll forget that child and she'll go up again."

_'How can she forget?'_ Hogwarts asked, voice so terribly old. _'That girl now haunts the bathroom. And it's really not her fault, Rowena. I told the builders not to build that bathroom there. Honest, I did. But they didn't listen. And you've never met the young Voldemort. He was such a charmer, so much like a young Salazar...'_

"Row," Susan said, gently rubbing the snake's head, "you remember what Sal was like when we were younger? You couldn't say no to him half the time, once he'd turned on the charm. None of us could."

"It's not the snake's fault for being used," Ronald agreed, reaching over to squeeze Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione stared at them all for a long moment, then said, "Hogwarts, if you could send me to my dorm?" and disappeared.

The other three were left watching each other sadly, Harry hugging the basilisk helplessly.

-0-0-0-

On their way to dinner, Ronald, Harry and Susan met up with the other three Weasleys who were current students at their school. They'd managed to miss them for the early part of the week – mostly because Ronald wasn't sure he wanted to face their reactions to him supposedly being studious – but it seemed their luck had run out.

"Ronnikins!" one of the twins called, then hopped forward with his brother and both rubbed their fists into the top of Ronald's head.

"No– Stop– Geroff!" Ronald managed to duck away from the twins and promptly hid behind the much smaller Harry.

Harry glanced over his shoulder at the boy and commented, "This is eerily reminiscent of my giant whale of a cousin hiding behind my stick-thin aunt, you know."

Ronald glared at him, then yelped and ducked behind Susan, who laughed at him.

Harry desperately wanted to comment on how not very Gryffindor-ish Ronald was being, but Ronald had already told them he hadn't told his family who he was. (Admittedly, none of the Founders had told their families...)

"Oh, Ron, I'm so glad you managed Ravenclaw," the eldest Weasley brother in the hallway commented as Ron made a mad dash to hide from his other brothers behind him. "Imagine, one of my own brothers, bright enough to be a Ravenclaw."

Harry turned around to hide his laughter.

"And already making friends in other Houses!" the boy continued gushing, pulling Ronald into a hug.

Ronald had turned a bright red at that point and tried to get away from his brother. "No– Percy, lemme go!"

Susan helpfully pointed out, "He's only a Ravenclaw this year. We _are_ being re-Sorted next year, you know."

"I know," Percy agreed, finally letting Ronald go. "But there's nothing saying he won't be Sorted right back into Ravenclaw again."

"No, no," Harry offered, "I'm pretty sure Ron's a Gryffindor at heart, like the rest of his family."

Percy sniffed. "If you insist. It's still wonderful he was Sorted into Ravenclaw, though. Have you told Mum yet?"

Ronald paled a bit. "No," he squeaked.

Percy blinked in surprise. "Why ever not? Well, then, I'll just have to add it to my letter home before I send it." He pulled a neatly tied scroll out of one pocket. "I'll go do that now, then," he decided, then turned and walked back the way he'd come.

"Mum's going to be an absolute _nightmare_," Ronald whispered, right before he was pounced on by his other two brothers.

Harry snickered and grabbed Susan's hand. "Let's go to dinner then. Ron'll catch up eventually."

Susan laughed and the two made their way to the Great Hall, Ronald crying "Traitors!" after them.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** What's to say, what's to say? Mmm... I don't know how long the next chapter is going to be. Not a lot happens for the rest of the year, so chapter three's a bit of an overview. I might start their second year in that chapter. Might not. Depends on how exciting summer is. (Not much, I'm thinking. But you never know. -wink- )

~Bats ^.^x


	3. Touch the Sunrise

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Undecided (but, uh, just for reference, the Founders are friends. They're not suddenly going to develop feelings for each other.)  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** I see no point in showing Dumbledore or Quirrell and the Stone, since the kids don't care, and Dumbledore doesn't think the Stone is anything but the real thing. He'll be destroying it again, just as he did in the books, to keep the Dark from getting its hands on it. So no one will ever find out the kids took the Stone.

-0-0-

_Touch the Sunrise  
_-0-0-

_He came upon the scene just as they finished killing her. Two muggles had held her down while the third buried his sword in her stomach. The man who had finished her off was standing in a puddle of blood from between her legs. He heard them comment, "She was a good fuck, for a witch."_

_He saw red. He shot the Darkest curse he could think of at the one who'd killed her off. The other two saw their friend scream, saw his skin start to peel off. They ran, and he shot curses at their backs._

_He shoved the peeling man away and knelt next to her. He ran his fingers through her beautiful black hair, closed her horrified eyes, kissed her forehead. The last of his family. Dead. His precious little sister, the baby he'd once sworn to their dying mother he'd give his life to protect._

_Salazar had failed. He'd failed because of __**muggles**__._

Harry sat up, gasping and choking. "Sarah," he whispered, hugging himself. "Oh, Sarah. Sweet, gentle Sarah."

He stayed up the rest of the night, not even comforted by Hogwarts' gentle hug.

-0-0-0-

Week two started out poorly for the Founders. Harry had dreamt of his sister's murder the night before, Hermione was still furious because of the basilisk, and Ronald received a happy letter from his mother at breakfast, which made him feel sick. What was his family going to think next year, when he ended up in _Slytherin_?

Susan was the only one in a good mood for the first classes, so was really the only one to earn points out of the four of them that morning.

At lunch, the four friends decided to eat in the kitchen. Hermione refused to talk to Harry for the entire meal, which didn't bother Harry one bit, since he didn't want to talk to anyone after his horrible night. Ronald was quite happy to complain about his family's reactions next year, and Susan just watched the other three sadly, wishing she could make things better.

Tuesday was much better, in retrospect. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had their first flying lesson after lunch. Ronald had always loved to fly as Godric, and even though Salazar had never been fond of being off the ground, he found he suddenly enjoyed it immensely. Recalling what Sirius had said about his father being a natural on a broom, Harry figured that some genes must have affected him from his birth parents, and he very much enjoyed it.

After classes that day, Harry dragged Hermione away from their other friends and the two had a long talk. When they came back, they were friends again, as it were, and the rest of the week went much better.

In fact, other than their boredom with the easy classes, and Harry's difficulties with Snape, school turned out to be rather nice. The four got to spend time together and in their home, Hogwarts. Harry would occasionally get a letter from Sirius, which he would read to his friends at their insistence, and the Hat would complain on the weekends about being locked up in Ronald's room during the week. (Ronald had been told to leave the Hat in his room during classes after the first time it had interrupted a class. Even though the Hat had sworn to behave, he wasn't allowed back into any classrooms. Especially not if it wanted to remain with a student.)

The most exciting thing that happened before Yule was when Quirrell let a troll into the school on Samhain. The four Founders had watched the professor with a fair bit of suspicion after that, but otherwise the event was nothing more than a bump in the year.

For Yule, the four Founders talked their families into letting them stay at Hogwarts, so they could spend the holiday with their much older family. Sirius managed to get the okay to come visit for the week starting on Yule.

For Yule, the Founders met in the Room of Requirement and enjoyed mugs of cocoa in front of a happily crackling log which Ronald and Susan had managed to procure the afternoon before. They spent the night reminiscing about their past lives and their families. Hogwarts attended in stone-form and enjoyed the meeting, as the Founders' memories were much more recent than her own.

When Harry returned to the Hufflepuff dorms early the morning of the twenty-third, he found Sirius waiting for him, fast asleep on the couch in the common room. He offered the man a fond smile and pulled out a spare blanket from the stores most students didn't know existed and draped it over his guardian. He'd told Sirius he wanted to spend the evening with his friends and that Sirius shouldn't wait up, but the man had clearly done so anyway. Shaking his head at Gryffindor silliness, Harry wandered up to his bed, where he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

The rest of the holiday was spent making snowmen and having snowball fights. The Founders quickly found that it was almost worth it to be children again – they'd loved playing in the snow, even as adults, but it was generally frowned on, no matter what time you were in. (Not that it stopped Sirius, who happily waged a one-man snow fight against the four first years and lost impressively. To be fair, the students had cheated a bit by casting magic to make their artillery and aim it. Not that Sirius wasn't doing the same thing, but he was both outnumbered, and hadn't expected the kids to know such spells.)

When they weren't playing in the snow, the four friends would curl up around the fire in one of the common rooms and listen as Sirius happily regaled them with the deeds of the Marauders. Occasionally, Ronald would take notes and ask for clarification on certain spells. (He later told his friends that he'd planned on using the spells on his twin brothers, who had always teased him mercilessly as a child. Not that Ronald hadn't fought back, but he wanted to have some new tricks up his sleeves, just in case.)

Christmas morning, Harry was woken by a large dog bouncing onto his bed. He blinked sleepily at his godfather and mumbled, "Sirius? What–?"

Sirius quickly turned back into himself and pointed at the bottom of Harry's bed, which was sporting a pile of neatly-wrapped gifts. "Presents, Harry! Come on!"

Sometimes, Harry mused as he pulled on his dressing gown and brought his pile over to where Sirius had already spread his out across the empty dorm floor, he had to wonder who was really the guardian of the two of them.

From his godfather, Harry got a second-year Defence book with notes written in it by Sirius and his father. For a long moment, he honestly hadn't known what to say, and when Sirius looked up to see why he'd stopped at one present, he smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "It's a bit used and probably a little out of date, but I thought you might like to have something your dad once owned. It's one of the few things I could find that weren't destroyed when your house went up in flames."

Harry gently set the book to one said and managed a croaked, "Thanks."

Sirius shrugged. "Sure thing, kiddo. Now, why don't you finish opening those gifts?"

Harry grinned at that and practically dove back into his pile. From Hermione he got a book on modern legal Dark spells. When Sirius cocked an eyebrow at the book, Harry shrugged and said, "Just something I'm interested in. No point in not knowing, right? Going to get cursed by them at one point, I'd bet."

Sirius shrugged at that and went back to his quickly dwindling pile. Harry snickered at the fact that his godfather was more excited about the presents than he was.

Ronald got him a set of daggers that Harry couldn't even _begin_ to imagine how the boy could afford. (Given, he could probably access his old Gryffindor vault, but Harry wasn't sure how his friend would have managed that without being noticed by _someone_.) Susan had given him a box of herbs and other potions ingredients that Hogwarts didn't have stocked in the student cupboard. Since Harry had been considering finding the old potions lab and using it to brew some potions for himself, the gift was invaluable.

"Potions ingredients?" Sirius asked, eyeing the box with distaste. "Don't turn into another Snivelly on me, k?"

Harry grimaced in disgust at the mention of the Slytherin Head of House, who was still being cruel to him, no matter what Harry did. "Not a chance," he informed his godfather. "But I _do_ like potions, even with Snape completely ruining the class. A lot like cooking."

Sirius shook his head. "You're Lily's child all right."

Having already heard about his mum's love of potions, Harry just grinned and pulled out the next gift, a fifty-pence piece from his aunt and uncle. He stared at it for a long moment before hissing in disgust and tossing it in the bin. Sirius gave him an odd look, but Harry just returned to his pile, where he next opened a box from Ronald's mother, which had a knitted yellow and black sweater and some fudge in it. The gift shocked him speechless again, as Harry honestly hadn't expected anything from his friends' parents, though Ronald had warned all of them that his mum might be sending them gifts.

After a moment, Harry pulled the jumper on under his dressing gown and opened the last gift. When an invisibility cloak slithered out, Sirius exclaimed, "James' cloak!"

Harry gently touched the silky fabric, dreadfully pleased to have another thing of his parents'.

"I thought it had been destroyed," Sirius whispered.

A note slipped from the folds and Harry picked it up, then read it aloud: " 'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you.' Know who it might be, Sirius?"

Sirius eyed the note curiously, then nodded. "Dumbledore. That's his 't', see?" He pointed to a couple of 't's, which had a distinctive curl on the end of the horizontal line.

"Huh." Harry pulled on the cloak and grinned madly when his lower body disappeared. "_Wicked_."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah. We got into _so_ much trouble with that cloak. It's _easy_ to cast prank spells on people when they can't see you. But Dumbledore can see through it. And Snape probably knows of it, since we used it on him all the time."

"I'll remember that," Harry assured him, then got up to put his gifts away.

The rest of the week continued in much the same way as it had before Christmas. When Sirius left on the next Saturday, he promised Harry, "I'll try and visit for Easter, but if it's not approved, I'll see you at King's Cross, okay?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I'll see you soon, then."

Sirius laughed at that and hurried off to Hogsmeade, where he would take the Floo back to the cottage he'd bought in Godric's Hallow shortly after being released from St Mungo's.

Fred and George quickly talked them all into another snowball fight, which they lost as spectacularly as Sirius had, even with Percy's help.

That night, Harry tossed his cloak over his head and followed Hogwarts' lead to the newest curiosity in the castle. Hogwarts had said that Dumbledore had put it in a side room at the beginning of the break. And though it _looked_ like a normal mirror, it was practically overflowing with magic, and Hogwarts wanted to know what it was meant for.

When Harry got into the room, he cautiously locked the door, then pulled off the cloak and held it tightly under one arm. Carefully, he approached the mirror and read the inscription across the top. After blinking and running it through a couple languages he knew, he smacked himself on the head and said, "I show not your face, but your heart's desire. Huh." He glanced into the mirror and _froze_.

There, staring back at him, were the smiling faces of the other three Founders, looking like they had before, and Harry looking like Salazar. And there, holding his hand and _alive_ was his beautiful sister. "Sarah..." he whispered, voice cracking. "Oh, Sarah..."

After another moment of watching his little sister smile and breathe, Harry turned away from the mirror and put his cloak back on. "She's dead, stupid," he told himself. "She's dead and there's nothing a magic mirror can do to change that." Then he hurried from the room and back to his dorm, where he dreamed of happier days with the bright girl.

-0-0-0-

The rest of the year passed as calmly as the first half had. Harry traded insults with Snape and cheerfully won the lost points back by being brilliant in his other classes, which kept his House from – as Ronald had put it – lynching him. (Not that a Hufflepuff would actually lynch someone.) Sirius hadn't been able to visit during Easter Hols, but he and Harry kept Hedwig busy with letters back and forth.

The four Founders slowly managed to fit into their adopted Houses, for the most part. Hermione still had some trouble with some of the upper years, but she'd been around Harry for long enough that she was able to act enough like a Slytherin to make most of the House leave her alone. Susan had found the Gryffindor House to be a much more welcoming and comfortable House than she'd expected, and told Harry that he'd actually probably like it in there, in spite of the colours. Ronald had ended up being much more willing to study after his stay in Ravenclaw, and could even say with some sincerity that he'd come to like the bookworms. Harry had decided he enjoyed spending time with the loyal Hufflepuffs, and had even made a few friends with the students in their year, much to his surprise; Harry had never had an easy time of making friends, as he'd never been a friendly person, especially not after Sarah's death.

Exams were easy for the four students, and they happily enjoyed the brief break before grades were due to laze about next to the lake and toss biscuit crumbs at the giant squid.

"It's a pity you can't take me with you," the Hat was saying one such afternoon the day before they were to depart. "I'd much rather stay with you, rather than have to sit in Albus' office for another boring summer."

"I seriously doubt he'd let you off school grounds, Hat," Hermione commented. "You're too old and precious."

"It's not _precious_," Harry complained. "It's just Ric's old hat. Which he accidently enchanted when he was drunk. Whoop-dee-doo."

"Ah, yet another story which was never passed down," Susan commented drily. "Instead of drunken stupidity, it was a moment of genius."

"Well, I _am_ a spell-crafter," Ronald replied, huffing at their teasing.

"Which is probably why you managed it while you were drunk, and never since," Harry said, giving his friend an amused look.

"You know what?" Ronald replied, looking a little vexed, "Stop picking on me. I get enough of that at home."

"Oh, Ric, we didn't mean to pick on you," Susan said, reaching over and squeezing Ronald's arm gently. "We're just having a spot of fun."

"Yeah, sorry, Ric," Harry agreed, scratching at the back of his head nervously. "Didn't mean to. Honest."

Ronald crossed his arms over his chest and gave them a disgruntled look, which made the other three snort, then shook his head fondly. "You two. Anyway, Helga, what's going on with you and Neville Longbottom?" he asked, turning on the yellow-eyed girl, who blushed a bright red. "You seemed awfully close yesterday at lunch."

"Oh? Has sweet Helga finally found herself a match?" Harry asked teasingly. "Has someone finally stolen the untouchable heart?"

"Shut up, Salazar," Susan replied, shoving at him with her foot. "It's not like that. Nev and I are just _friends_."

"Mmhmm..." Ronald said, brown eyes sparkling. "Didn't look like friends to me."

"Oh, stop teasing her," Hermione admonished, eyes laughing.

"Thank you, Row."

"But, come on, Helga. There must be _something_–"

"Rowena Ravenclaw!" Susan snapped, then smacked the other girl on the arm, making the boys laugh.

"Prude," Hermione replied, making the boys fall backwards, clutching their sides. "Oh, stop that, you two."

"S-sorry, Row. But it _is_ funny," Ronald said, wiping at his eyes.

Hermione huffed a bit, making Susan roll her eyes.

Before they could continue, Harry glanced up with a frown. Everyone turned to look at the Headmaster, who was approaching their group with a gentle smile. Hermione unobtrusively took down the privacy wards, which no first year should even be _able_ to cast, let alone know how.

When the Headmaster got close enough so he wouldn't be yelling, Harry said, "Something we can do for you, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled at the cheerfully. "Well, I was wondering if Mr Weasley wouldn't mind returning the Hat, for starters?"

"Blast," the Hat complained. "Well, I suppose we'll have to wait until next year to chat, Ron," it said, allowing itself to be handed over to Dumbledore.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said, handling the Hat carefully. "Now, Mr Potter, if you don't mind, I'd like a word?"

Harry blinked at his friends, who all shrugged, and stood. "Sure."

Dumbledore smiled and led the boy back to his office, prattling on about sweets and other nonsense that Harry didn't even bother paying attention to. Once they were in the office, Dumbledore offered him tea, and Harry said, "With all due respect, sir, please get to the point."

Dumbledore smiled again. "Of course, my boy. I must ask you to return to your aunt's house–"

"No," Harry said sharply.

"Now, Harry–"

"I will not return to that _muggle's_ house again," Harry said, making the word 'muggle' sound like a dirty curse.

"Harry, she's your family–"

"No, sir, she's my nightmare. I'd sooner off myself than return there. If we hadn't caught Pettigrew, I was planning to see if I could stay here this summer."

"Harry, surely that's a bit extreme," Dumbledore said, looking disappointed. "She's your mother's sister."

"Yeah. And she hates my guts. I'm not going back there."

Dumbledore let out a sad sigh. "My boy, you must. The blood wards are protecting you so long as you go home for a few weeks each year. After two weeks, you may move to Sirius' home, but I _must_ insist you return to Petunia's house."

Harry stared. Blood wards?! "Sir, why are their blood wards around their house?" he asked quietly. As far as _he_ knew, blood wards should have been illegal in the eyes of the Ministry.

Dumbledore gave a great sigh and gave Harry a horribly sad look. "My boy, your mother died to save you, you see, and as it is her sacrifice which saved your life, it's her blood you must stay with, to protect you. The blood wards just added to that, making the protection that much stronger."

Harry eyed the man suspiciously for a long moment before something occurred to him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but don't blood wards require that the subject, me, thinks of the place they're protecting as home?"

Dumbledore blinked. "Yes, of course."

Harry smirked. "Well, then, they probably broke at the beginning of the year. You see, _sir_, as soon as I walked into Hogwarts, I thought of this castle as home. Not the Dursleys'." In all honesty, Harry had _never_ considered the muggle house his home, but he wasn't going to tell _Dumbledore_ that.

Dumbledore looked like Harry had killed his mother or something. "Oh, my dear boy..."

Harry stood and gave the man a disgusted look. "Sir, I am _not_ 'your boy'. I hardly know you. And just so we're clear, I will be staying with Sirius this summer. And _only_ Sirius. Good day, sir." Then he turned and stalked from the room, intent on finding his friends and thinking of something else for a while.

"Mother's sacrifice my _arse_," Harry muttered as he walked back out into the sunshine. "Hundreds of mother's must have died for their children. What makes _me_ so special? Light wizards..."

-0-0-0-

Harry had sent his godfather a quick owl to let him know that, no matter what Dumbledore had already told him, he would be staying with Sirius for the entire summer, and he should be ready to pick him up the next day at King's Cross.

The train ride was spent talking about their summers. Hermione said she might be travelling to France or somewhere on the continent, since her parents like to spend summer off the island. Susan commented that she'd likely just be at home, studying and spending time with her aunt, who she adored. Ronald grumbled about de-gnoming the garden and getting teased something horrible by his brothers. Harry didn't have any expectations, except that it would be fun. He also invited his friends over to the new house, since he knew Sirius wouldn't mind – the man even liked Hermione, despite her House. Ronald extended the same invite, saying his mum was a brilliant cook and loved having a large group of people to entertain.

At one point in the trip, Draco Malfoy swaggered into their compartment. He and Hermione had come to the mutual agreement to ignore each other during the past year, but he'd always enjoyed catching Ronald in the halls and teasing him something fierce about his family's money-status. There had almost been three duels, but one of the other Founders had always cut in before it could get too serious. Susan and Draco weren't fond of each other, but Draco mostly ignored her, since she was "of good breeding, despite her unfortunate Sorting."

Draco hadn't been quite sure what he thought about Harry. On one hand, the boy was a Hufflepuff and friends with a Weasley, as well as a muggleborn. On the other, he was one of those people you _wanted_ to know and he acted very much like a Slytherin.

"Well, hello there, Potter, Weasel. And how has your trip been so far?" Draco asked with a smirk. He made a habit of never acknowledging the girls, especially since the first and last time he'd insulted Hermione, he'd had to go to Pomfrey to have his fingers separated. And since Susan's aunt was the Head of the DMLE, he wasn't even going to _try_ insulting her.

"Brilliant, right up until _you_ walked in," Ronald snapped back.

Harry sat back and smiled. "Well enough. How has your trip been, Draco?"

Draco blinked at Harry, thrown off by him. "Fine," he mumbled, then eyed Ronald with a look of disgust. "Now then, Weasel–"

"I wouldn't, Malfoy," Hermione commented, levelling her wand at the boy. "I don't want to have to curse your fingers together again right before we get back to London, you know? So why don't you just leave Ron alone?"

Draco eyed the old, pale wand and put his hands up. "Have a nice summer, you loonies," he told them, then hurried away.

"I don't know why you won't let me just curse him," Ronald grumbled.

"Because you might 'accidently' curse him permanently," Harry replied with a smirk. "And you know it."

"Give it up, Ric," Hermione suggested. "Malfoy's not even worried about you."

"Listen to Row," Harry agreed. "Best to let him underestimate you, so when it _really_ counts, you can take him down."

Ronald gave Harry a disbelieving look. "Why would I wait? I'd rather just curse him silly now, so he leaves me alone like he does Row."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Gryffindors."

Susan and Hermione laughed while Ronald grinned unrepentantly.

-0-0-0-

Hermione went to Italy for the first half of summer, while the other three did exactly as they expected, with the occasional visit to Harry or Ronald's houses for a bit of together time. When she got back, they all met up at Harry and Sirius' house.

"I brought gifts!" Hermione exclaimed as soon as she come in through the Floo.

"Yeah!" Ronald and Sirius both shouted.

Susan and Harry traded amused looks.

Hermione grinned and flopped down on the couch next to Susan. "I wasn't sure what everyone would like, so I got a bunch of little things..." She pulled a few toy models of the coliseum and other temples from her bag and spread them out across the table. When Sirius reached his hand out first, Hermione smacked it. "No, Sirius. The others pick first."

Sirius pouted and hugged his hand to his chest, while the three students traded amused looks and picked up a few models, leaving four for Sirius, which he immediately snatched up, eyeing Hermione's hands warily.

"These are kinda cool," Ronald commented, turning his model of Apollo's temple around in his hand.

Hermione smiled and said, "Ah, but I also got everyone a Carnevale mask, since we found a shop that still had some for sale."

The other three Founders sat forward, eyes wide. Though it hadn't been as well known when they were originally alive, the Venetian Carnevale had existed then. A few of their students shortly before they died had come from Italy and enjoyed celebrating their holiday before and while the few Christian students had their Lent and the pagan culture of the school – including the four Founders – enjoyed the spring equinox. The school had quickly adopted the time of merry-making before their other holidays and it had become something of a tradition in the years preceding their deaths to have a few weeks without classes to enjoy the holiday. Masks had been much less prevalent at the time, so the Founders had never had their own, though they'd often joked about going to Italy and get masks themselves.

Hermione giggled a bit, then pulled out the first carefully wrapped mask. "Let's see, Ron?" She handed it over.

Ronald waited until she'd nodded before ever-so-carefully unwrapping it. The mask was a half-mask which looked like it had a leaf above his eyes. It was done in autumn colours and lined in gold. Swallowing, he put it on, then grinned at his friends. "What do you think? Am I mysterious?"

"Not in the least," Harry deadpanned, then laughed and ruffled Ronald's hair playfully, earning him a shove.

Hermione laughed at the two and pulled out another well-wrapped mask and handed it over to Susan. The girl opened it just as carefully as Ronald had. Inside was a beautiful half-face, metal mask with a tiara-like pattern above the eye holes and fancy curls coming out from the corners of the eyes. It had a black back piece, which was covered in the gold metal cut in the decorative pattern. "Oh, 'Mione, this is so _beautiful_," she whispered, putting it on. "What do you think?" she asked the boys.

"Stunning," Ronald said. Next to him, Harry nodded, then turned to Hermione hopefully.

Hermione smiled and pulled out the last mask, handing it over to Harry. When he unwrapped it, he found a silver half-mask with a metal crescent moon rising over the eyes. He carefully put it on, pausing to argue with his hair when it tried to get caught in the moon. When Ronald snorted, Harry shoved him, then asked, "Yeah?"

Ronald grinned. "Yeah."

When they turned back to Hermione, she'd pulled out her own mask and was grinning at them as she finished tying it on. It was done in an aged-bronze and had two hippocampi on either side of a hand-harp above the eye holes. Rowena Ravenclaw had been the only Founder to play an instrument, the harp, so the mask was far more proper than anyone but the four friends would know.

"That's lovely, 'Mione," Susan said, smiling from behind her own mask.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Sue. Sorry I didn't get you one, Sirius. I wasn't sure which one would suit you best, and the selection was a bit limited, anyway."

Sirius shrugged with a grin. "S'ok. I'll just have to take Harry to Italy next year and get my own," he said, eyes dancing.

The four kids laughed at that. Then the three who'd stayed in Britain turned on Hermione and demanded details about her visit, which she laughingly offered without complaint.

-0-0-0-

The rest of the summer passed quickly, with the four friends enjoying their time spent at home with their families almost as much as they enjoyed the time they spent together at the Burrow or Sirius' cottage.

Suddenly, it seemed, it was time to get supplies for a new year. The friends agreed to meet in the Leaky Cauldron at noon a few days before term was to start.

When the Weasleys finally finished coming through the Floo, the parents made quick plans, then herded the group of eight children off to the bank, where each family set about getting gold for purchases. After a number of pleading looks from the children, the parents went to get little things for their kids, while the twins went one way and the Founders went another.

Since their parents had agreed to get their other things, the four friends made their way to the bookstore, since that's where they were to meet up anyway. It was already filling for the autographing session of Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Ugh. Lockhart's books?" Susan complained, eyeing the full set they were supposed to be buying in disgust.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked.

"All his books are tall tales, that's what," Susan replied, determinately walking right past the assigned books.

"They can't be _that_ bad," Hermione said, frowning down at the books she'd just added to her basket.

"Mum's nuts about him," Ronald commented. "She's not sure how she feels about having to buy the full set for all of us, though – they don't make the used copies shelf very often..."

"Sorry, Ron," Susan mumbled, gently touching his shoulder.

Harry shrugged. "Well, if the books are as bad as Sue says, then maybe we should only buy a set for the four of us? Ron and I can share when Slytherin and Gryffindor has classes together, and Sue and 'Mione can share when Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have classes together. We'll just have to trade them for the set that needs them that day."

"That would be _brilliant_," Ronald breathed.

"We might even be able to work it so your whole family only needs to buy one copy," Susan commented, eyeing the book in disgust. "I really hope whoever our teacher is realizes how hard this is on the families with less money."

"That would be the Weasel's family, right?" Draco asked out of nowhere, coming to stand next to them.

Susan eyed Draco for a long moment, then sniffed and walked off. "Come on, Ron. He's not worth your time."

Hermione shoved Ronald after the retreating Susan, leaving Harry to smile in amusement at Draco. "Someone once told me children like to mercilessly tease someone they have a crush on," he commented. "Be careful, Draco, before someone takes your verbal comments the wrong way." Then he turned and followed his friends, leaving a gaping Draco behind.

By the time they'd finished finding all the books they wanted, the adults had arrived. They met next to the register and the kids gave their books over to be bought. Mrs Weasley was practically bouncing in place and, once the books had been paid for, hurried them all into line to get the books signed.

"Hey, Mrs Weasley," Harry said, "we were talking earlier and we figured we four would just get one set of books to share, since we end up sharing our books in classes anyway. And, well, Sue thought it might be easier to just get one set for the twins, Percy and Ginny to share. And if Ginny ends up in a different class, she can borrow the set we're using." At the mention of her name, Ginny blushed brightly and hid her face behind her hands. Harry gave her a weird look; he'd figured out early into the summer that she was crushing on him – he'd seen his fair share of teenaged romances to be able to tell – but he didn't understand what her deal was.

Mrs Weasley, who'd already commented on the prices of the books for this year, looked surprised and grateful. "That's a good idea, Harry. Thank you. You too, Susan."

Both students smiled at her, but before anything more could be said, the photographer bumped into Susan. Harry and Ronald both hurried forward to steady her, giving the man venomous looks. "_Move_, kids," the man snapped, barely sparing them a glance. "This is for the _Daily Prophet_."

"No one cares about your rag of a newspaper," Harry snarled back. "You watch where you're going."

"It _can't_ be Harry Potter?"

Before Lockhart could do more than start to move towards Harry, Ronald, Hermione and Susan were all standing between them, wands drawn. Behind them, Harry smirked nastily. "So what if I am?" he asked.

Lockhart flailed for a moment, clearly uncertain what to say, before smiling brightly and saying, "Well, come here, then, Harry. I wanted to gift you with the school books–"

"Oh, no, that's okay," Harry replied, leaning over Hermione's shoulder with a fake smile. "See, I can afford your books fine without your help. Now, other students going to Hogwarts this year – the poorer families who can't afford them and the orphans who have to buy them with money from the Hogwarts vaults – _those_ children could use your... _donation_."

Lockhart cleared his throat and tried another desperate smile. "Well, ah, of course. I– ah... Oh! The Weasleys, of course!"

Mrs Weasley huffed a bit. "We can afford school books just fine, sir."

The Founders hid smiles at how much of a fool the man was making of himself.

Lockhart tried another smile after his recent attempt died in light of Mrs Weasley's anger. "Uhm, right! Of course! I shall just leave a couple sets here at the counter for any students who are either unable to buy them themselves or have to use Hogwarts money." He handed four piles of books over to the cashier, who didn't quite seem to know what to do with them. Lockhart turned back to the crowd, his smile much more genuine. "And of course, what these poor, unfortunate students don't yet know is that, not only will they be getting free copies of all my books, they'll also be getting _me!_ Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, your very own Gilderoy Lockhart will be teaching at Hogwarts this year!"

"Oh no you don't," Harry muttered, then used the noise of the crowd to shoot a couple of older spells at the man, smirking nastily when they hit. Next to him, Susan giggled, while Hermione rolled her eyes and Ronald snorted.

"What'd you hit him with, then?" Ronald asked.

Before Harry could answer, Lockhart blissfully said, "If you'd like a back massage, please continue to move forward. If you need to bash the staff, hit everyone in your way."

Everyone just sort of stopped and stared for a long moment, Lockhart looking puzzled. Then, pandemonium ensued, and the four Founders had to hurry out of the way, snickering.

"Oh, the Dyslexic Curse. Sal you're _horrible_!" Hermione said through her laughter.

Harry looked proud of himself. "With an added confundus to make him think he's actually saying what he means to say."

Susan beamed. "I do think I love you for that," she decided, then gave him a wet kiss on the cheek.

"I can see the headlines now," a sarcastic voice called from just to their left, "Potter Flirts With Bones Beyond Stupid Writer."

"Malfoy..." Ronald hissed, then aimed his wand at the other boy.

Hermione grabbed Ronald's hand and smiled nastily at Draco. "Don't worry, Ron, you'll have _plenty_ of time to curse him in his sleep this year," she said sweetly.

Ronald relaxed, smiling. "Oh, and I'll _enjoy_ it."

Draco sneered. "Weasel would never get into Slytherin. And he couldn't curse me, even in my sleep."

"What's going on over here, kids?" Mr Weasley asked, walking over with the rest of the Weasley kids and the various parents.

"Just a friendly school-yard rivalry," Harry commented, eyeing Draco warningly. "Nothing to worry about."

"If you're sure..."

"Ah, Arthur," a new voice said. "How quaint, seeing you in a bookstore. Sure you can afford all those school books? Perhaps you've already taken the four copies behind the desk, to lighten the cost."

Everyone looked over at where a man who looked very much like Draco was approaching. Everything about him screamed 'Slytherin,' and the other three Founders looked to Harry in hopes that he might keep a fight from happening.

But Harry could no sooner have stopped an oncoming rhino, and the two males quickly turned their fight of words into a brawl, with Susan's father and Sirius hurrying forward to pull the two men apart.

In the end, it took Mrs Weasley coming back over and yelling at her husband to get off the floor. The two men shot glares at one another, then the elder Malfoy hurried Draco from the store.

After that, the rest of the trip was almost boring.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** This chapter was so much fun to write.

A translation of what Lockhart _thought_ he was saying: "If you'd like autographs, please continue to move forward. If you need the store staff, please stay to the left."

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _Tomorrow Will Come_


	4. Tomorrow Will Come

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Undecided (but, uh, just for reference, the Founders are friends. They're not suddenly going to develop feelings for each other.)  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** I'll be having a white Hallowe'en this year... O.o

**A/N:** As I've announced on the other two stories I've recently updated, I'll be doing NaNo this year. This story has two more chapters pre-written and one about half-written, so this fic WILL be updated for a chunk of November. But you'll probably have to wait for a bit in December before I can update again. -sweat-  
Also! For those of you asking, I'm on the NaNo site under the username Batsutousai. YES you can friend me. If I see the message about being friended or you let me know in a review or PM I WILL friend you back.  
My NaNo piece will be on my LJ. (Links in my profile.) It IS an original piece, so you don't HAVE to read it, but you all know what a review whore I am... -winks-

-0-0-

_Tomorrow Will Come  
_-0-0-

Harry and Sirius were, by no means, running late, but they were pushing it a bit. Sirius was a horrible person to wake up in the mornings, and since he'd stayed up kicking Harry's bum at chess the night before, he was worse than usual. As it was, they made it to the barrier about ten minutes before the train was to leave. They hurried towards the barrier and promptly bounced off.

"Hmm... That's not supposed to happen," Sirius commented, resting his hand on the barrier. When he put a little weight against it, he promptly fell through.

Harry narrowed his eyes and threw a complicated and slightly out-dated detection charm at the barrier. After a moment, it told him it was blocking specifically him from going through with non-human magic.

"Oh no you don't," Harry muttered, then quietly hissed a parseltongue spell which overrode practically any magic, and aimed it at the spell preventing his entry. Just as the problem spell collapsed, the Weasleys came hurrying over.

"Harry, dear, what are you doing just standing here?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking ruffled.

Harry forced a smile. "Just about to go through, that's all. Come on, Ron." He grabbed Ronald's arm and tugged the other boy through the barrier.

Sirius stood on the other side, looking worried. "Harry! Merlin, you scared me! You're alright? Oh, hello, there, Ron."

"I'm fine, Sirius. Just took me a moment," Harry said, smiling reassuringly. When Ronald frowned at him, Harry quickly shook his head, then nodded towards the train. Ronald nodded in understanding and the two boys let Sirius help them get their stuff onto the train where Hermione and Susan were waiting for them.

After some quick good-byes, the train chugged from the station and Harry's three friends eyed him curiously.

Harry sighed. "When I got to the barrier, it wouldn't let me through. I used the old detection charm on it and it was some sort of non-human spell. Not sure what, though."

"Not many non-humans can go unnoticed in the train station. Not even on the magical side," Hermione commented thoughtfully. "And I can't think of any that would have magic different enough from ours that it would register."

Susan shrugged. "House elves?"

"Really?" Hermione asked.

Susan nodded. "Well, yeah. Some of the richer families, like the Malfoys, like to have their elves carry their luggage."

"Right, so what would a house elf have against Sal?" Ronald inquired, rolling his eyes.

"Besides the fact that I was a supposed monster before?" Harry asked drily. When the other three just stared at him, he grinned and said, "Yeah, I suppose that's not common knowledge, even for house elves."

"Except at Hogwarts," Susan pointed out.

"But the Hogwarts house elves have no reason to keep Sal from the school." Ronald glanced at Harry mock-suspiciously. "Do they?"

Harry shrugged. "They shouldn't. I haven't done anything to them of late."

"Well, we might just have to wait for the culprit to show itself," Susan decided with a helpless shrug. "Sorry."

Harry shook his head. "Doesn't really bother me. Assuming it's a house elf, it's not a Hogwarts house elf. And that means this elf thinks I'm an average twelve year old."

"Slytherins," Hermione said in disgust, making the other three laugh.

-0-0-0-

Dumbledore met them at the front doors. "Well, children, how would you like to be re-Sorted?"

"What do you mean, Headmaster?" Hermione asked while Harry gave the man the evil eye.

Dumbledore smiled, ignoring Harry. "Before or after this year's first years?"

The group traded looks, then Hermione turned back and said, "Before, I think. We don't want to be standing about until the first years finish."

"Excellent. That was my choice as well," Dumbledore told them, then led them in. He motioned to McGonagall, then led the way up to where the Hat sat on the stool.

"Albus, I don't suppose you'd mind if I spent another year with Mr Weasley?" the Hat asked once the group got close enough.

Dumbledore eyed Ronald. "I don't suppose so, no. There was no lasting harm, and I dare say you were in a much better mood this summer."

"Wicked," Ronald said just loud enough for his friends to hear.

"But the same rules apply," Dumbledore finished. "No going to class. You cause too much trouble."

If hats could pout, the Hat would have. As it was, it just let out a depressed sound. "Very well..."

"Ah, and here come the first years," Dumbledore said, glancing towards the back of the room. "If you four would stay here, Professor McGonagall will call you up first."

The students nodded in understanding and turned to watch the group of first years follow McGonagall up. Once she got up there, and the younger children were all staring at the Founders in confusion, the Hat happily started its song.

Once the song was through, McGonagall announced – mostly for the first years' benefit, "These students were to have spent one year in the Houses they were Sorted into last year, and will be re-Sorted this year. They will go first. Bones, Susan."

Susan hopped up to the stool and sat the Hat on her head. Since the Hat already knew where they were all going it only paused a moment before calling out, "RAVENCLAW! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

Everyone just sort of gave Susan odd looks and one student commented, "Again?" making the students around him laugh.

McGonagall cleared her throat and said, "Granger, Hermione."

Hermione placed the Hat on her head and, after a moment, it said, "HUFFLEPUFF! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

As Hermione walked over to her new table, McGonagall said, "Potter, Harry."

Harry eyed the Hat from where he stood next to Ronald and smirked when it called out, "GRYFFINDOR! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

"You'll have to put it on eventually," Ronald commented with a laugh as Harry turned to walk over to his new table.

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend and took a seat, grinning at Ronald's twin brothers, who were quietly chanting, "We've got Potter, we've got Potter,"

"Weasley, Ronald," McGonagall ordered.

Ronald picked up the Hat and put it on his head. _'See you shortly, old friend,'_ he said.

"SLYTHERIN! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!" the Hat shouted.

As Ronald walked over to his new table, he caught sight of Draco Malfoy, who was looking rather ill all of a sudden. As he took a seat across from the boy, Ronald said, "You look a little green, Malfoy. Don't tell me I have the power to put you off your appetite?"

"Not a chance, Weasel," Draco hissed, then firmly turned away from the other boy to watch the Sorting of the first years.

As the food appeared, Harry turned to the twins, who had managed to budge people out of the way so they could sit across from Harry. "So, how many more Houses–

"–are you planning to go through?"

"All of them, I should think," Harry said with a shrug, then took a bite of broccoli. "Why do you ask?"

"Any idea when Ronnie–"

"–will be joining the brave lions?"

Harry made a face at that. "Couple years, I think. How are you about him being a Slytherin? He was worried about the reactions from your whole family."

The twins traded looks, then both shrugged. "The Hat almost put us in there," one said.

"But we told it no. Weasleys _never_ go to Slytherin," the other commented.

"Percy's pretty okay with Slytherins–"

"–so long as they follow the rules–"

"–and no one knows with Ginny, since she's been so off."

"What about your parents?" Harry asked eyeing them curiously. Almost his, huh?

"Mum's going to blow her top," they said as one. All three of them glanced over at where Ronald was talking to a few of the snakes.

"Dad might not care," one said as they turned back to Harry.

"Especially not if Ron can get him some inside on the Malfoys."

"He's been trying raids on the place for _years_."

"Can't seem to find a thing in the entire house."

"Well, the Malfoys _were_ Slytherins," Harry pointed out, waving a bit of chicken about on the end of his fork. "And Lucius is an excellent one, despite his tendency to start a brawl with your father in a book store."

Both twins grinned madly.

Harry shook his head. "Here, help my sanity a bit; who's who?"

"I'm Fred," the one on the left said.

"And I'm George," the one on the right said.

Harry eyed them suspiciously. "Almost Slytherins?" he asked.

They both nodded.

"Right. George, Fred," Harry said, firmly calling both of them by the name the other gave. "I think I can keep you straight for the rest of the year," he decided.

Both of them laughed. "Good call," they said as one, then slipped back to their former seats.

Harry had barely managed four more bites when a hyper-active first year bounced into the vacant seat in front of him. "Hi!" the kid chirped.

Harry eyed the boy suspiciously. "Hi?"

"I'm Colin Creevey!" the boy chirped. "I've been ever so excited to meet you! My father's a milkman you see, so I only just learned about the magical world! And everyone's always saying how amazing you are and I'm so excited to meet you!"

"That's nice," Harry said neutrally, uncertain how else to speak to the child.

"Can I take a picture of you?" Colin asked, pulling out a muggle camera. "I want to send it to my dad!"

"No," Harry said firmly.

Colin looked like someone punched him.

Harry frowned. "I don't like having my picture taken," he said, deciding to nip this kid's photo obsession in the bud right there and then. "Old superstitions. If you take my picture, I'll likely destroy the camera. This is your only warning." That said, Harry returned to his dinner and decided to ignore the next person who came up to him.

-0-0-0-

As expected, Mrs Weasley sent a Howler first thing the next morning. Over at the Slytherin table, Ronald steadily turned redder and redder while Draco mocked him. Once the Howler was done, Draco turned bright orange and found he could only speak in sonnets. Ronald smirked at him and turned to his food while the other boy and his friends tried to end the enchantments.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry had gotten a letter from Sirius, which was full of sunshine and rainbows, as it was, because Harry had made Gryffindor. Sirius said, _'No matter what that Hat may have said, we both know you're bound for Gryffindor. I'm sure you won't __**actually**__ be re-Sorted next year. Don't worry about it, Harry.'_

Honestly, Harry was almost as disgusted with his letter as Ronald was angry with his. To make matters worse, they had Potions first thing, and Snape took great pleasure in being able to take points from Gryffindor for all of Harry's nonexistent infractions. As the boys made their way outside to one of the courtyards for their break, they commiserated about their letters and the morning in general. Harry sullenly added having Binns before lunch to his woes, while Ronald added having Lockhart after lunch to his.

After lunch, the two boys trudged towards Lockhart's classroom, quietly debating what horrors they would have to sit through. When they got to the classroom, the two grabbed the seat furthest back before any of the other Slytherins could and Harry set their books in front of them.

As soon as Lockhart came in, he happily called roll and beamed winningly at the whole class. Then he passed around quizzes all about him. Harry and Ronald traded disgusted looks, then gleefully made up a bunch of answers, as most of the other Slytherins were doing.

Once the tests were passed in – and Lockhart had commented on how no one seemed to have sufficiently read his books – the idiot set a cage of Cornish Pixies on them. Ronald and Harry once again traded looks, then promptly fled the classroom with their things before the little buggers could reach them.

The rest of the week wasn't quite as insane, and the four Founders practically danced at the beginning to the weekend and met up by the lake. There, they jokingly complained about being children again and Hermione forced Ronald to do his homework while the other two Founders laughed at them and quickly turned to their own work when Hermione glared at them.

At dinner on Monday, Hermione plopped down across from Harry at the Gryffindor table, blue eyes smouldering.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Harry inquired, setting down his fork and giving his friend his total attention.

Hermione huffed. "Lockhart," she said with disgusted expression.

"Ah. You had him after lunch, didn't you?" Harry asked in understanding.

"Yes!" Hermione stabbed the table with a nearby fork and Harry eyed her suspiciously while the other Gryffindors leaned back.

"I know he's an idiot," Harry soothed, setting a hand over Hermione's clenched fist. "Come, when are your free blocks tomorrow?"

Hermione let out a breath and said, "Before and after lunch."

Harry nodded. "Excellent. Meet in the kitchens?"

Hermione nodded, seeming much calmer. "I'll tell Sue?"

"And I'll let Ron know. Now, why don't you head back to your table before Snape comes over here and blames me for your sitting with the Gryffindors?"

Hermione giggled a bit and slipped back to the Hufflepuff table.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry tugged the fork out of the table and looked at it, impressed. When Hermione got mad, she got _mad_.

-0-0-0-

"He's a menace!" Hermione declared once they'd waved away the house elves.

"I _did_ tell you so," Susan commented drily. "And you just sort of ignored me."

"She didn't ignore you, she just decided to give him a chance first," Harry said, taking an offered butterbeer with a quick word of thanks.

"If you're going to make him disappear, do it carefully," the Hat suggested from on top of Ronald's head. "Dumbledore will probably be watching out for it, and Gilderoy's best spell as a boy was the Obliviate spell."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Hermione asked, ignoring the suggestion in light of questioning the break of rules. "I thought you were supposed to stay in Ric's room during classes."

"Technically, that's only when I have classes myself," Ronald pointed out.

"But he's actually been turning the Hat invisible and taking it to class anyway," Harry offered with a smirk. "As long as the Hat doesn't say anything, no one knows."

"Godric!"

Ronald huffed. "Thanks, Sal."

Harry grinned nastily.

"Back to the matter at hand," Susan cut in, shaking her head at the other three. "I don't think we really want him to disappear–"

"Why not?" Harry demanded.

"–but it wouldn't hurt to make him feel unwelcome," Susan finished, ignoring Harry completely.

"Like a prank?" Ronald asked, perking up slightly at the thought.

"It's certainly an option," Hermione agreed.

"But if we all agree he's useless, why are we letting him stay at all?" Harry complained, then scowled when the other three ignored him in favour of planning out pranks. When the Hat just gave him a hat-shrug, Harry sighed and joined them in their plotting.

-0-0-0-

Lockhart spent the weeks until Samhain enduring various pranks. Perhaps the worse he faced was Harry's prank of making his teeth appear to be rotting and his hair greasy. Because the curse had been in parseltongue, no one had been able to dispel it before it wore off a week later. (The second worst was Hermione's prank of making mirrors not show his reflection, but after the professors figured out what the spell was, they were able to dispel it easily. As a result, the prank only lasted three days, rather than a full week.)

Classes with the man didn't improve, though, despite the weekly pranks. It seemed nothing could deter the man, much to the Founders' sorrow. Every time Harry suggested the rather permanent solution of just 'losing' the man somewhere, however, he was ignored. (Years of practise had taught the other three Founders that ignoring Salazar was the best way, in these matters. If you tried to argue with him, he would almost always manage to talk you around to his side.)

Saturday, October thirty-first found the four friends once again in the kitchens, discussing the Lockhart problem over dinner. They'd decided not to attend the feast in favour of spending the holiday together.

"The pranks don't seem to be working," Ronald grumbled. "He's still as irritatingly cheerful and stupid as ever."

"We can still lose him," Harry volunteered.

"I suppose we could sabotage his office or something," Susan commented.

The other three turned to look at her in surprise. "How very unlike you, Helga," Hermione commented.

Susan shrugged. "Well, pranking doesn't seem to help, and we refuse to 'lose' him–"

"Oh, so you _have_ been listening to me."

"–it seems right that we should step it up a bit. Sabotage seems like that step."

"Seems reasonable to me," Ronald decided as Hermione nodded thoughtfully next to Susan. "Sal?"

Harry glared at him. "Oh, so _now_ you want my opinion."

"Sal, we _always_ want your opinion," Susan said, reaching across the table and taking one of Harry's hands in her own.

"Except when you're talking about killing people," Hermione added.

Harry glared at her. "I'm not talking about _killing_ him. I just want to–"

"Lose him, yes. Except your version of losing him means he won't see the light of day again!" Hermione snapped.

Harry opened his mouth to retaliate, but got hit in the face with a jet of water from Susan. Across the table, Hermione was getting the same treatment from Ronald.

"Okay, now that we've cooled off a bit," Ronald commented drily as he put his wand away, "we can discuss more important things, like how we're planning to sabotage the git."

Susan and Ronald started throwing ideas back and forth. After ten minutes or so, Hermione joined in, but Harry continued to scowl at the other three.

After another ten minutes, Hermione snapped, "If you're just going to glare at me, why don't you leave?"

"Rowena!" Susan exclaimed, but Harry was already standing and walking out, quietly thanking the house elf who pushed the door open for him.

Once in the hallway, Harry leaned against the nearest wall and took a deep breath. He loved Rowena like a sister, really he did, he just wished she didn't have such firm beliefs in what was right and wrong. Godric, who was also Light, didn't have quite the temper Rowena had always sported – which seemed odd, considering how many quick-to-anger fools came from the House of Lions – as he preferred to think things through a bit more. Helga, who had always called herself a Grey witch, had always been the balance between Salazar and Rowena, with Godric acting as an extra buffer. It had always been that way, and though they'd had fights, they'd been happy.

And Harry _was_ happy. He was happy to be back with his surrogate family. He was happy to be back in the only building he'd ever truly felt was a home. He was happy to have a real guardian and not have to worry about those disgusting muggles anymore.

But that didn't mean things were easy. With Rowena, things never would be. It was something Harry had resigned himself to as Salazar, and he was being painfully reminded of it again. Salazar and Rowena had always been the two most likely to butt heads, no matter what history said about him and Godric, and no amount of time would ever change that. In fact, Harry didn't think he'd _want_ that fact to change. Rowena had always challenged him, made him think a bit more. She'd always been the one to keep him from falling too deeply into his anger and hate.

_'Salazar!'_

Harry's head jerked up and he vaguely noted he'd hit it on the castle wall. "Hogwarts?"

_'There's a girl in the Chamber! One of the first years! She's... She's not herself!'_

Harry turned and hurried down the hallway. "Can you detain her? Keep her there?"

_'She's trying to talk Ashala into going up.'_

"What? I thought there weren't any parseltongue children here?"

_'There aren't. That's the problem.'_

Harry groaned in disgust and slipped into the girl's bathroom over the Chamber. A wailing was coming from one of the stalls, but after a quick _'Hurry!'_ from the castle, Harry didn't bother looking. Instead, he hissed :open: at the faucets, then slid down the pipe, absently casting cleaning charms ahead of him.

As soon as he hit the ground, Harry was running again. Normally, this sort of adventure would be more up Ronald's alley, but they'd all agreed when they'd first built the school that only Salazar would be able to open the Chamber's doors, so this particular trip was all for Harry. Anyway, if someone was messing with _his baby_, Harry wasn't about to let one of the other three attend to it. (Especially not Hermione. She might think killing Ashala was the best solution, no matter her supposed thoughts about killing things. Then again, maybe that didn't extend to basilisks?)

Harry dashed into the main Chamber room and paused to look around in disgust. He didn't remember decorating the room with those dreadful snake columns; the others wouldn't have allowed it. At least the face of Merlin was still acting as the guardian to Hogwarts' core, but it looked like the great stone had seen better days.

The girl standing before Ashala turned to look at Harry and smiled an unholy smile. "Harry Potter," she said in a voice which wasn't her own.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, then shook his head. "No, who are you? Why are you possessing that child?" he demanded.

Ginny just continued to smile. "I'm surprised you found me so quickly. I'd almost think you knew where I was, but that can't be possible. No, I was too careful. I've always been careful, even before Dumbledore became Headmaster."

Harry frowned at the possessed girl and leaned back against a column, wand in his hand. "I'll ask you again: Who are you and why are you possessing Ginny Weasley?"

"Shall I give you a hint?" not-Ginny asked teasingly.

"Mmmm... No." Harry glanced up at Ashala, who had her eyes closed. :Ashala, who is this person? Who do they _say_ they are?:

Not-Ginny looked surprised when Harry spoke to the basilisk, even more so at the mention of a name and the expectancy that the great snake would answer him. Her shock was nothing next to what she felt when the snake replied, :Your Heir, Salazar.:

Harry turned Killing Curse eyes on Tom Riddle and bared his teeth. "Lord Voldemort. And what is a _great_ Dark wizard like you doing possessing a little girl in Hogwarts? Perhaps to create a new body for yourself?"

"Salazar _Slytherin_?" Riddle whispered, stolen eyes wide. "But– That's not possible! A lie! I'll kill you! _Avada Kedavra_!"

Harry calmly brought a chunk of stone between him and the curse, smirking nastily. "Oh, but my little Heir, it is. And that's the entire reason you failed to kill me those many years ago. My Heirs _can't_ kill me. But I must wonder, what has you in Hogwarts? What are you planning? I _do_ hope it's not to set sweet Ashala on the students again."

Riddle sneered. "But of course. I must complete your great legacy and rid the school of mudbloods!"

Harry tutted. "No, my Heir, I never wanted that. I cannot fault the children for the crimes of the parents, it would be wrong. It is the _muggles_ who must die, not their magical offspring. Oh, how my words have been twisted by time."

Ginny's gentle face twisted in disgust. "You lie," he whispered. "You _lie_!" And then Riddle sent a volley of Dark curses at Harry, all of which he blocked or side-stepped, smiling the whole while.

When Riddle started breathing hard, Harry said, "You'd best let go now, my Heir. Before you kill your host, and yourself with her. What a pity _that_ would be."

"This isn't over," Riddle spat, then suddenly vacated the girl's body, leaving her to fall to the ground at Ashala's tail, which the serpent quickly rose to keep the girl's head from hitting the ground.

Harry hurried over, keeping his wand out in case it was a ruse. "_Accio_ Lord Voldemort," he mutter when he got close enough and was only mildly surprised when a diary flew out of the girl's pockets. He deftly sidestepped it, leaving it to hit the ground, and knelt next to the girl.

A quick diagnosis spell showed that the girl was only suffering from mild exhaustion, so Harry said, "Hogwarts, could you transfer Miss Weasley to the infirmary and let Ric and the others know she's there? Tell them I'm dealing with the part of my Heir that was possessing her, and I don't care what Row says about 'losing' him. He's my Heir and I will do with him as I see fit."

Ginny's still form disappeared from Ashala's coils and Hogwarts said, _'Consider it done,'_ with laughter in her voice.

Harry huffed and turned back to the diary. "Now then, my Heir, what have you created?"

A slew of Dark and Light spells didn't tell Harry much about the diary other than that it was about fifty years old, muggle-made, and had been kept in a magical environment since the owner bought it.

"What are you?" Harry whispered, eyeing the object with curiosity. He was firmly avoiding touching it, as he was well aware that the object could possess him as easily as it had Ginny Weasley. Since it had been on her person during the possession, Harry assumed it likely required physical contact to initiate the possession.

:You could use our magic on it,: Ashala suggested, lightly wrapping her tail around Harry's waist.

Harry realised he was shivering from the cold and quickly cast warming charms on both himself and the snake. "I suppose," he agreed, then threw a parseltongue detection spell at it.

The book lit up with answers and Harry's eyes widened in disgust. "A receptacle for a _soul_?! Were you _mad_, boy?"

:Yes,: Ashala offered, gently bumping her head against Harry's.

Harry spat on the book, then shot a fireball at it. When the book didn't burn, he threw a parseltongue fire spell at it.

:I don't think normal fire will work, Salazar,: Ashala hissed. :Only something powerfully Dark could destroy that.:

Harry eyed the book. :You're right, of course, my sweet. Fiendfyre, then. We'll need to back up; I am by _no means_ a master of this spell.:

The two quickly backed away from the book and Harry threw the cursed flame at the book and watched with pleasure as it ate the object up. When the fire turned to the only other living things in the room, Harry exerted pressure on it until it disappeared, leaving him cold and sweaty.

:That was impressive, Salazar,: Ashala said, curling her tail around Harry protectively. :You are tired, I will protect you.:

Harry nodded and closed his eyes, letting himself drift to sleep in the embrace of the snake he considered his child.

-0-0-0-

When Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table the next morning, he was immediately bombarded with inquiries about where he'd been the night before.

"Empty classroom," he said to quiet their demands. "I got into another fight with 'Mione and went for a walk. Ended up getting too tired to make it up to the Tower, so I decided to sleep in the classroom I found. Wasn't too bad. Bit stiff, though." He cracked his back with a wince. Sleeping in the coils of a snake was by no means comfortable.

"It's just, Ginny Weasley appeared in the hospital wing last night, and after a head count, you were the only person we couldn't find after they called a lock-down," Seamus Finnigan said, eyes wide. "No one knows what happened to her, or you."

Harry looked around the table and finally noticed that the three eldest Weasleys were missing. A quick survey of the other tables showed that the other three Founders were also missing, so he grabbed a last roll and nodded. "Thanks for the update. I think I'll go reassure the others I'm alive and check on Ginny. I'll see you lot later, right?"

"Yeah, alright. And don't go missing again!" Dean Thomas called after him as Harry jogged for the doors to the Great Hall. He could practically feel everyone turning to stare at him after Dean's shout and Harry rolled his eyes.

In the hospital wing, Mrs Weasley sat with her sons in a silent vigil over the only girl. As soon as Harry walked in, Mrs Weasley practically burst into tears and hurried over to hug him. "Oh, Harry! No one knew where you were!"

Harry grimaced. "I'm sorry," he said, chagrined. "I took a walk and was too tired to make it back to the Tower, so I just slept in a classroom. I honestly didn't mean to worry anyone." He gently tugged out of the motherly woman's grip. "How's Ginny?" he asked, looking over at where the pale girl lay under the sheets. The boys and two non-Weasleys around the bed looked exhausted, and Harry suddenly felt horrible for having slept while his family – old and new – sat up here all night and worried about him and the young girl in the bed.

Ronald smiled tiredly at him. "We told them you were fine," he said.

"I figured," Harry replied, taking the extra seat next to his friend while Mrs Weasley returned to her own chair. "How's Ginny?"

"Madam Pomfrey says she'll be fine," Susan said softly. "Just a bit of magical exhaustion. She has to sleep it off. But since no one knows why she had it or how she got here..."

"Of course." Harry nodded in understanding of both the statement and the unspoken, 'we didn't tell them what we know.'

Suddenly, Hermione threw herself across Ron and onto Harry, eyes bright with unshed tears. "I'm s-sorry, Harry!" she cried.

Harry wrapped his arms around her, surprised. " 'Mione? What–?"

"She's been like that since you never came back," Ronald said, gently moving Hermione's legs off his lap. "From what we could gather when she calmed down a bit, she was afraid you might have gotten hurt and the last thing she said to you was spoken in anger."

Harry immediately understood. Rowena's husband had gone to fight and die in the Dark Wizard Wars; the last conversation they'd had before he'd left had ended in a screaming match, and Rowena had never been able to apologise. Rowena had also been unable to settle things between herself and her daughter, and it had eaten at her right up until the moment she'd died.

"But Harry's fine," Fred said, looking confused.

"Yeah, see. Right there," George agreed.

"No, it's more than that," Harry murmured. "Shh, 'Mione. I'm right here. I'm not mad at you, I understand and I'm here," he whispered to her, rocking her gently. Hermione just buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

On the other side of the bed, the twins rolled their eyes and got glared at by their mother.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** It appears some people don't really like Hermione because she and Harry keep butting heads. That wasn't my intention, just to be clear, but it seems that's what happened. I hope those of you who were starting to dislike her are a bit better now?

Oh, and Ginny's fine. I don't know that I'll show her waking up or anything, but she does, and she has no recollection of the Chamber at all, which means the whole thing will remain a complete mystery to everyone but the Founders.  
And the diary was properly destroyed. The real Voldemort will have no knowledge of Harry being his ancestor.

Also! I'm currently leaning towards the following pairings: Susan/Neville, Hermione/Bill and Ron/Draco. You can argue them to your heart's content and I will _consider_ changing them. Maybe. (Shara already tried to get me to make it Hermione/Severus, but that didn't work. Just a heads up.)  
And Harry's staying single. No, you CAN'T argue me out of that one. He's single. Period.

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:**_ Fallen Star_


	5. Fallen Star

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Draco/Ron, Hermione/Bill, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** So, the only problem with the kids solving these problems so quickly, is that there's nothing else for them to do during the rest of the year.

**A/N:** There were a number of questions about Tom being unable to kill Harry. YES, Tom can hurt him, even going so far as to bring him near to death, but the ritual Sal did keeps Harry from dying from any wounds dealt to him by an Heir. (So, if Tom were to wound Harry enough that he would die from one more hit, and someone that isn't Tom were to deliver that hit, Harry would die.)  
Also, just because he CAN'T die, doesn't mean he wants to get hit with any curses; Harry's not a masochist. And surviving the Killing Curse _hurts_.

-0-0-_  
Fallen Star  
_-0-0-

Nothing exciting really happened for the rest of the year. Ginny had woken later that afternoon, with no memories of anything that had happened and curiously missing her diary. (The diary, when mentioned to her mother in sorrow, was met with confusion, as Mrs Weasley had never bought her daughter a diary, and had no clue what the girl was talking about.)

After being cornered and quizzed by his friends, Harry wondered if there might be another piece of soul in the building and they had Hogwarts do a quick search for it. She was able to sense that there _was_ another one, but she couldn't say exactly where it was. The Founders ended up deciding to take a few days during the winter recess to help power Hogwarts enough to find the exact location and destroy the damn thing. (Ronald, being a minor fire elemental, had far more control over Fiendfyre than Harry could ever hope to have, so the task of destroying the next one when they located it would fall to him.)

After they located the diadem – Hermione was actually quite insulted by the misuse of her prided creation – Ronald destroyed it and they continued to enjoy their Yule. Christmas, when it came, found Harry, Hermione and Susan under the care of four Weasley males, all of whom decided to make their holiday the best ever. Although Ginny was still dreadfully shy around Harry, she managed to enjoy the day as much as the three non-Weasleys did.

For a week during the traditional time of Carnevale, the Founders all wore their masks. Most of the teachers were delighted – except Snape, who gleefully enjoyed taking points from Harry every time he saw the boy, and he made a point to do so regularly – and made pleasant comments about the children finding new holidays to enjoy. The four friends ended up taking a vote and it was decided they wouldn't tell their professors that Carnevale used to be a tradition, if only because there was no way they could explain their knowledge of the tradition.

Mid-May, Hermione finally got fed up with Lockhart – their continued pranks and sabotages didn't seem to be having much affect in the long run, though they would throw him off briefly at times – and told Harry he could 'lose' him to his heart's content. After getting agreements from Ronald and Susan, Harry kidnapped their professor and dropped him in the Forbidden Forest near where a colony of Acromantula were said to live.

When Lockhart didn't show up after a week, Dumbledore cancelled Defence classes and Hermione finally admitted that she should have let Harry do that at the beginning of the term, to "save more of our sanity". (Harry had only gloated for a day.)

When they went home for summer, it was in high spirits. Hermione's parents had already decided they would be visiting France that summer, and Sirius had decreed that he and Harry would be off to see America. Ronald had complained a bit about how his family never travelled anywhere while Susan sat there and laughed at them all. Eventually, Harry commented that Sirius probably wouldn't mind if Ronald came along too, and the red-head quickly shut up. (Sirius wouldn't mind, but he might also prank the living daylights out of his travelling companions. Anyway, his family would be sad.)

As it was, Ronald and his family ended up going to Egypt, and when they all came back, there was a large party where they all traded gifts and joked about their various adventures – Ronald and Harry's stories were far better than Hermione's, as they'd both travelled with people inclined to prank, rather than their muggle parents who had been to the locale before.

Their visit to the Alleys that year hadn't been anywhere near as entertaining as the previous, but they _were_ surprised when they ran into an old friend of Sirius' during lunch:

"Moony?" Sirius asked as they were all setting their things down to eat at a long table.

A shaggy man at the bar turned and looked at the party. He glanced over the pile of Weasleys, the three Bones and Hermione's family. When he saw Sirius, he practically froze. When his eyes finally travelled over to Harry, who had been eyeing his one-time surrogate uncle curiously, he whispered, "Harry?"

Harry smiled. "Hello, Uncle Remus."

Sirius snorted next to him, completely destroying the moment. "I haven't heard that since..."

"Since Lily and James were alive," Remus finished, looking as saddened as Sirius sounded.

Harry blinked and cocked his head to one side. "Why don't you join us, Uncle Remus?"

Remus looked back at his pile of books and papers in front of him. "Well, ah..."

Harry was up and helping the man move before he could formulate a proper excuse. While the rest of the table placed their orders, Harry watched Sirius try to talk Remus into getting something to eat. When the waitress finally got to them, Harry ordered three specials, then smiled innocently at Remus.

Remus shook his head after a moment under that smile. "I do believe you've been spending too much time with Sirius, cub."

Harry outright grinned at the endearment, which he understood the meaning behind, though he shouldn't have, as he'd been far too young when he'd last heard of Remus being a werewolf.

"That, or with these friends of his," Sirius commented, then gleefully introduced the shaggy man to the entire table. Remus seemed quite surprised to find so many smiling faces aimed at him, and Harry felt his heart break. When Remus determinately returned to his papers, Harry set a gentle hand on his and smiled sadly. The return smile, as painful as it was, meant everything to Harry.

Lunch passed quickly, and Sirius paid Remus' bill before the man could say a thing, then invited him over to the cottage.

"Uhm, well, I've got so much work to do, and–"

"_Please_, Uncle Remus?" Harry said, giving the man a hopeful look.

Down the table, Ronald snorted and was promptly elbowed by Hermione, who hissed in his ear, "Leave him alone. He's got as much right to a family as the rest of us do, you prat."

Harry did finally manage to get the man to agree to come over for a bit, and promptly spent the visit peppering Remus with questions about his life up to that point, carefully avoiding anything that might pertain to Remus' condition, which was always a sticky subject in the wizarding world.

When Remus finally let them know he'd be teaching at Hogwarts the coming term, Harry happily hugged him and they both watched with horrified amusement as Sirius danced his glee.

Once Sirius had calmed down, he demanded they take Remus out to get a new wardrobe. When Remus started to complain, Sirius snapped, "You're going to give Snivellus the chance to mock you for a whole year because you can't buy new robes?"

"And my Housemates always wonder why I lose so many points," Harry muttered to himself, rolling his eyes at his godfather.

Remus turned and gave Harry an odd look. "What did you mean by that?"

"Huh?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "Eh, Snape hates me. He likes to take points for little to no good reason. He particularly enjoyed it this year, since I was in Gryffindor."

Remus blinked, shook his head, then blinked again. "Uhm, and you weren't the year before?"

Harry grinned. "Nope. Hufflepuff," he said, sounding proud. He'd enjoyed his time in Hufflepuff the most so far. Gryffindor had been interesting, and sharing a dorm with the twins had been nothing short of exhilarating, but the House as a whole expected too much out of him. Harry was glad he wouldn't be a Gryffindor again, personally. (Especially with that little camera-boy running around. Harry had destroyed four cameras before the boy had stopped trying to take his picture.)

Remus turned to Sirius askance. "He and his friends are playing merry-go-Houses," Sirius explained in amusement. "This will be their third year switching houses. I mean, _I_ know Harry's in the House he belongs in right now," Harry flinched faintly, "but the Hat and the kids seem to think they should try out every House."

"It's interesting," Harry said with a slightly forced smile. "We like seeing what the other Houses are like, and the Hat thought it was a great idea."

"Huh. Well, it's certainly a different experience than anyone else will have," Remus commented. "And at least now I know _beforehand_."

Harry grinned. "Yeah. No one told Lockhart."

"I wonder whatever happened to that man," Sirius mused. Before Harry could do more than cover a smirk, the elder animagus grabbed Remus' arm and dragged him towards the Floo. "Come on, Moony! We can't have you looking like that at Hogwarts!"

"Help, Harry," Remus called, looking back at Harry beseechingly.

Harry, having already been dragged out clothes shopping with Sirius, merely smiled and said, "Good luck."

Laughing manically, Sirius put an unresisting Remus into the Floo and sent him to Diagon Alley ahead, then quickly followed before the other man could run for it.

-0-0-0-

Remus ended up riding the train with the students. When Harry stepped into the compartment he and his friends usually shared, he found the man sleeping restlessly. After checking to make sure Sirius was still out on the platform, talking to his cousin Narcissa, Harry silently cast a few spells that had been common in his original time to soothe the aches a transformation caused. The full moon had been the night before, and likely Remus was still feeling the effects. If Harry could help, even the slightest bit, he would without pause.

After quickly conjuring a blanket for Remus, Harry hurried back out to where Lucius Malfoy was approaching the squabbling relatives. Harry got there first and dragged his godfather away to where the Bones were just arriving, narrowly avoiding a potentially dangerous fight.

Susan let Harry help with her trunk while their guardians chatted on the platform. On the way, Harry told the girl about their sleeping companion, "Uncle Remus is going to be teaching us Defence, like I said over the Floo yesterday, and for some reason he's riding the train with us. I think it's okay to be in the compartment with him, but we'll have to keep it down."

Susan nodded. "You know why he's on the train," she said. It hadn't been a question.

Harry winced and glanced around the corridor. "It's not knowledge I should have," he said.

Susan nodded in understanding. Children did not remember things from when they were one year olds; not clearly. Because the Founders had been born fully aware, they remembered things perfectly from that time. "Will you tell us?"

Harry nodded. "Later. You three won't care, but others might."

Susan nodded in understanding. They quietly put up her trunk and she left her bag, then they went back out to await the rest of their friends.

Once everyone had arrived, the warning had been told to the other two and the good-byes were said, the four friends, slipped into their compartment and warded the door. Once they felt safer talking, Susan cast a quick spell to keep Remus from hearing their discussion and they all turned to Harry.

"Uncle Remus is a werewolf," Harry said without preamble.

"Oooh... Parents won't like that," Hermione muttered, glancing over at their compartment companion sympathetically.

"Then we'd best hope they don't find out," Ronald muttered, eyes dark. "Honestly, the magical world's prejudice has gotten to be ridiculous over the years."

"And they don't have the old spells anymore," Harry said sadly. "The ones to soothe the transformation. Those have been completely lost to time. So now they suffer the madness of the night and the pains of the day."

"That's horrible," Susan whispered, swallowing with difficulty. "How can they live like that?"

"I wonder that myself," Harry murmured, watching Remus' sleeping form. "Uncle Remus was always the kindest. Mum liked him best, because he wouldn't talk pranks and quidditch like Dad and Sirius, and he wasn't prone to dropping me like the rat was."

"Oh, Sal..." Hermione leaned forward and hugged Harry tightly. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to stop remembering that family, that perfect, happy family. The family a reborn Salazar Slytherin had barely grasped before it, too, was torn from him.

After a while, they took the spell from Remus and all four settled in to do some reading. Ronald had silently complained about having to sit quietly and _read_ just for the sake of complaining and had been promptly kicked by Hermione.

"Didn't your time with the Slytherins teach you _any_ subtly?" Harry whispered

Ronald grinned. "No, but it taught me sneakiness."

Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to his book on Runes, which he'd signed up for with Arithmancy. Hermione and Susan would be taking the same two classes, but they'd also added Muggle Studies to the mix, which had made Harry roll his eyes in disgust. Ronald had picked Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures, having heard the latter was one of the easier classes and having been bullied into taking the former by his other two friends.

Around the time that the sweets lady came around, Remus finally woke up, feeling much better than he ever had after the full moon. When Harry saw he was awake, his eyes lit up and he held out a chocolate frog to him, which Remus took with a smile. "Thank you, Harry. Which of you made this fine blanket, then?"

Three fingers pointed to Harry, whose cheeks reddened slightly. "I thought you might be cold," he said by way of explanation.

Remus nodded. "I think I was. This is a nice bit of conjuring."

"You can tell it was conjured and not transfigured?" Hermione asked, sitting forward with bright eyes.

"_Down_, girl," Ronald said with a laugh.

Hermione smacked his arm. "I'm not a dog, you overgrown house cat!"

"Children," Susan said in a mock serious voice.

Harry rolled his eyes at the group and turned back to Remus, who was watching them fondly. "How are you feeling?" the boy asked him.

Remus shrugged. "Really very good, actually," he said, unable to hide his awe at that notion.

Harry smirked. "Teaches you to fall asleep in train compartments without a blanket when the heat's not running."

Remus chuckled at that and fondly ruffled Harry's hair. "I suppose it does." When he realized Ronald and Hermione were still arguing a bit while Susan watched on in amusement, he asked, "Are they always like this?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, usually it's me and 'Mione that pick fights. Ron and Sue just sit back and let us at it until we reach for our wands, then they take them away."

Remus looked a little surprised. "You're only third years, how much harm can you do?"

Harry grimaced. " 'Mione likes to read ahead in _everything_. I like knowing Defence spells. If we got into a magical fight, it could get ugly."

"Anyway," Susan added softly, "you'd be surprised with how much damage a third year can do."

"Ah, fair point," Remus agreed, grimacing a bit in memory.

"Are you two done yet?" Harry asked of his other two friends tiredly.

Bright smiles met his question and the two chirped, "Yup!"

Harry and Susan rolled their eyes while Remus chuckled.

After a few more jokes and general fun, Remus turned to Harry and said, "If you don't mind, cub, I was wondering about something from last week?"

"Sirius' sense in fashion?" Ronald asked with a straight face. Harry elbowed him in retaliation.

"Sure, what is it?" Harry asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"When Sirius was saying how sure he was you'd end up in Gryffindor, you flinched," Remus said.

"Oh, bugger, he's not _still_ convinced you're a Gryffindor, is he?" Ronald asked helplessly. "You'd think, after two years, he would have cottoned on a bit..."

"Ah, Ron, our resident suffering from foot-in-mouth disease," Hermione said sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes at the two, then looked back at Remus uncomfortably. "Because I know he's wrong, and it'll break his heart to know what my House actually is," he said, swallowing with difficulty.

"A part of Harry hopes Sirius will figure it out on his own, I think," Susan commented softly. "He might handle it better that way."

"At least this way I get a whole other year, though, right?" Harry asked with forced cheer.

"Oh, cub..." Remus whispered and drew Harry into an awkward hug.

Harry closed his eyes and shifted so the hug wasn't quite so weird. "He's going to hate me, Uncle Remus," Harry whispered, finally voicing his fears for the first time since Sirius had started his crusade for Harry to be a Gryffindor. "He's going to hate me so much..."

"Cub, he's not going to hate you," Remus said.

Harry tugged away, wiping angrily at dry eyes. "He will. He hates Slytherins more than Mrs Weasley does, and she about flipped her lid when Ron got Sorted there last year."

"Yeah, but she got over it, Harry," Ronald said, gripping Harry's shoulder tightly.

"Anyway," Hermione said with a sniff, "if Sirius decides to be a prick about it, we'll just remove the one he was born with."

The other three students stopped to stare at Hermione in shock while Remus just shook his head in amusement.

"You did _not_ just say that," Susan said, caught somewhere between being horrified and amused.

Harry suddenly started laughing and slipped across the compartment to hug Hermione, who grinned. "Hermione Granger, don't you ever change," he said.

Ronald and Susan started laughing shortly after that.

-0-0-0-

The Sorting went just as it had the year before. Susan went to Slytherin, where she traded wary looks with Draco before sitting across from him coolly. Hermione made her way to Gryffindor table, where she sat with a smiling Ginny. Harry went to the Ravenclaw table without touching the Hat and sat across from the students in his year with a knowing grin. Ronald made his way to the Hufflepuff table, where he was welcomed with open arms by the entire House.

After the first years were Sorted, McGonagall handed the Hat over to Ronald, who grinned knowingly and put it on his head to chat with it quietly. When the food appeared, everyone dug in and talked quietly to their neighbours about their summer and, at the Ravenclaw table, their scores the year previous.

"So, who beat who out last year?" Padma Patil asked Harry. Her sister was in Gryffindor and, although Harry had never really gotten to know Parvati, he'd met Padma a few times because of the relation.

"Grade-wise, you mean?" Harry asked. It was common knowledge in their year that the four students who kept switching Houses were in a league all of their own when it came to lessons.

Padma nodded, and Harry could see other Ravenclaws straining to hear.

Harry grinned. "Well, let's see. 'Mione beat everyone out in Potions, Transfiguration and Defence. Ron managed to trump Astronomy, while Sue got Charms. The Gryffindor boy, Neville Longbottom kicked everyone out in Herbology, and I took History."

The Ravenclaws all sort of laughed helplessly.

"So, what do we need to watch out for this year?" Lisa Turpin asked with a knowing look.

"Sue, 'Mione and me are taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. 'Mione, Sue and Ron are all taking Muggle Studies, and Ron's taking Care of Magical Creatures."

"It's nice to know there's one class you four can't pull top in," Michael Corner commented drily.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, you lot can _have_ Divination. Well, and Herbology, if Neville's going to murder us like he did last time."

"You think he will?" Padma asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I've roomed with him, he's a plant nutter. Brilliant, but completely bonkers."

The Ravenclaws all laughed again.

-0-0-0-

It was official, Harry loved Remus. When the man had told them all what they'd be doing in class that day – facing down a boggart – Harry had quietly asked if he could not have to face it. Remus had given him an odd look, but agreed, saying he wasn't sure he wanted Harry to face it anyway, as he was afraid it would turn in to Voldemort. Harry had just grinned sheepishly.

Honestly, Harry wasn't sure _what_ his boggart would be, but he was almost certain it wasn't something for the eyes of children – his boggart in the early stages of the building of Hogwarts had been Sarah's body – and Ronald seemed to have agreed with him, since he stood in the back of the classroom with Harry. When one of the Ravenclaws, Terry Boot, tried to get them to come up and see, Harry shook his head and said, "Professor Lupin already told me to sit this one out, and Ron's providing moral support."

Terry had sneered at the comment on a Hufflepuff's devotion and left them be.

After the lesson, when Harry and Ronald walked back to the classroom with Remus, the werewolf asked Harry, "What do you think you're afraid of, if not Voldemort?"

Harry blinked in surprise. "Who said it wouldn't be him?"

Remus smiled knowingly. "Harry."

Harry shrugged. "If it's all the same, Uncle, I'd rather not say."

Remus nodded. "Very well. We all have our secrets, I guess."

Harry grimaced. "Yeah."

"Do you have a class after this?"

"Ron does," Harry said, then grinned madly when Ronald looked at his watch in horror and took off down the hallway.

Remus chuckled. "Well, would you like to see a first year class that's taught properly?"

"Aren't you full of yourself!" Harry laughed, earning him a wink from Remus. "No, I'd love to, but I promised Sue I'd help her with something when my class was out. Walking with you is on the way, so..."

"Oh, well. I suppose I'll just have to ask sooner the next time I want an assistant."

Harry snorted at that and shook his head. "Yeah, sorry, Uncle Remus. You know, I've got a life outside of you and all that."

"Yes, yes." They slowed down as they hit the pile-up that was forming outside Remus' closed classroom door. "Sorry, sorry!" the professor called, then spelled the door open. He glanced back at Harry and ruffled the boy's hair. "Go on, then."

"Cheers!" Harry said and slipped around the first years.

Just as Harry was almost clear of the group, a girl's voice said, "Salazar?"

Harry turned on reflex and felt his heart stop at the sight of the small girl who was standing there with hope in her familiar aqua eyes.

"Sarah?!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Finally!! I've been waiting for this moment for, like, three chapters now! And I'm actually rather happy with how it turned out, though I almost wish I didn't have to sacrifice chapter length for that particular moment.  
Ah well. Can't be helped. XD

I hadn't intended for Harry to be so... child-like in this chapter. Alas, as soon as he had a bit of a family again, he sort of... did his own thing. (And I sort of let him have at because, as Shara likes to point out, I'm character-driven, and if my characters don't have something to do that they _want_ to do, I won't get very far. -sweat- )

Oh! And now I can tell you that Harry won't be paired with anyone, but Sarah will. (As soon as I figure out who... Luna? Mmmm... Femslash... -drool- )  
Also, wow, guys. You know, there IS a valid reason why Harry doesn't want to get into another relationship. I mean, look at what his last wife did to him. And his Heir, too. O.o

This WILL update next week! (Chapter six is already written and beta'd. Chapter seven is...stuck. Hopefully it'll unstick itself after NaNo. -winks- )

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _A Dream Comes True When It Will_


	6. A Dream Comes True When It Will

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Draco/Ron, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** I love Snape. But he's a bit of a jerk, and Sal doesn't suffer jerks well.

**A/N:** Mmmm... Sorry, I forgot that Harry doesn't explain his...wife until this chapter. (I think that mention in the last chapter's author's note confused a few of you. Sorry. -bows- I blame sleep deprivation? And NaNo. XD)

-0-0-

_A Dream Comes True When It Will  
_-0-0-

Remus looked up when he heard Harry. The boy was staring at one of the Hufflepuff first years as if she was a ghost. Before Remus could do more than turn towards the children, Harry had shot forward and engulfed the girl in a hug. Remus noticed tears in the boy's eyes and swallowed.

As soon as Remus had met Harry, he knew the boy hadn't had a good life. He had the jaded look that Remus had carried for much of his life, but it was faded by the happiness of having friends and a sort-of family.

Harry cried like Remus, too; never. Remus had only ever cried twice since he'd come to Hogwarts: when his friends accepted him for what he was, and when James and Lily had been killed. In the same way, Harry would only cry if something deeply upsetting was to occur.

And Remus couldn't begin to imagine what was so upsetting about a first year girl.

-0-0-0-

Harry practically _danced_ into the Room of Requirement. "Helga! Helga!" he called once the door had fallen shut behind him.

When Susan looked up curiously, Harry grabbed her arms and swung her around in a circle. Laughing, she held on tight until he stopped, then asked, "Goodness, Sal, what has you in such a wonderful mood?"

"Sarah," Harry whispered, green eyes bright with happiness Susan couldn't remember ever seeing. "Helga, she's _here_."

Susan blinked a few times. "Your sister? Sarah Slytherin?"

Harry nodded, looking like he wanted to dance around the room some more.

Susan smiled and hugged him. "Oh, Sal, that's wonderful. And she remembers?"

Harry's eyes darkened and he drew away abruptly. "She knows me," he said. "I don't..."

Susan's eyes widened in understanding. "Her death."

"I don't _want_ her to remember that," Harry hissed.

Susan firmly tugged Harry back into a hug, ignoring his resistance. "Did she _look_ like she remembered?"

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed in Susan's hold, since she was so determined. "No, not really. But... She looked so _happy_. I don't know if it was just because we met again or..."

"Or if she's actually forgotten. Well, you'll just have to ask her. She's in class?"

"Yeah. She's with Uncle Remus. Don't know for how long though..."

Susan smiled. "Hogwarts?"

_'Until supper. I'm sorry, Sal, if I'd known–'_

"Hogwarts, you couldn't have known," Harry said gently. "I'm the only person who could have recognised her, and I didn't notice her at the Sorting. It's my own fault."

"Sal..."

"No, really. If I'd seen her last night, we could have caught up during lunch or something," Harry said, gently slipping from Susan's hold to smile. "Well, we've got two hours. What did you need me for?"

Susan sniffed, but led Harry back to the table she'd been working at. "Row and I agreed we need to go back over the wards, since it's been a thousand years. Row's not sure how much help she can be, however, so she told me to get you."

Harry nodded in understanding; his and Susan's magical sight were perfect for this job. "_Hogwarts: A History_ says the Headmasters have, over time, added their own spells and helped boost the wards. What are we worried about, exactly?"

"_Everything_," Susan said helplessly. "Spells have changed over the years, and some of the older ones may be useless or more useful at this point. Row also wants to know how the hell two pieces of Voldemort's soul managed to make it undetected into Hogwarts. We're worried about the students; if those two soul pieces could get in, what about his people? Or even Voldemort himself?"

Harry winced. "Right. What have you got so far?" he asked taking a seat.

Susan sighed and waved at the piles of books the room had supplied. "I was brushing up on my warding. It's not something I've really considered since we put the first wards up, and it's not something I can really study at home."

Harry nodded. "And things have changed. I understand. Here, let me see that book over there. I could use a refresher too." He grinned at Susan, getting a grateful smile in return.

They settled in to read quietly.

-0-0-0-

When Harry walked into the Great Hall for dinner, he paused in the doorway for a moment, then walked over to where his sister was talking nervously with another Hufflepuff first year. "Oiy," he said to the boy who sat next to Sarah, "mind if I squeeze between you two?"

Sarah practically leapt out of her chair and knocked Harry over. "You came to sit with me!"

"Indeed I did, but not on the floor," Harry agreed cheerfully. "Perhaps the bench might be a better option..."

Sarah giggled and tugged him down into the open space that had appeared next to her original spot. "You're so silly, Sa– Harry."

Harry brushed a hand through her hair with a smile. "Only sometimes. You know, if I'd _known_ you had the class, I would have taken Professor Lupin up on his offer of helping him."

Sarah gave him a curious look. "Why didn't you?"

"Already promised my friend Sue I'd help her during our free period." Harry glanced up when someone tapped on his shoulder. "Hi, Ron."

Ronald smiled at him. "What brings you to the Hufflepuff table? And to someone other than me?" he asked teasingly.

Harry grinned. "Ron, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is one of my old friends, Ron."

Ronald got a strange look on his face as he looked at the bright-eyed first year. "Sarah?" he repeated, sounding slightly amazed.

Harry nodded. "Yes, _Sarah_," he said, answering Ronald's unvoiced question.

"I think I need to sit down," Ronald mumbled and gratefully took the open spot the first year boy that had moved for Harry made. "Wow."

Harry grinned some more. "I _know_. And we thought we were special or something."

Ronald snorted and punched Harry lightly. "Prat," he said, then held out his hand around Harry. "Nice to finally meet you, Sarah."

Sarah took the hand gently and shook it. "Likewise, though I somehow think you know more about me than I do about you."

Ronald chuckled. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance," he said, eyeing Harry, who rolled his eyes at him. "Well, you missed Harry, I'm afraid. He did Hufflepuff two years ago."

"Aww..." Sarah pouted a bit. "Figures."

Harry smiled fondly and hugged her. "Don't worry. It's not like we're at completely different schools or anything."

"Oh, I know," Sarah agreed.

"Brilliant. Well, eat now, chatter later," Ronald ordered. "The food won't stay forever, you know."

"Do you, or do you not know how to get to the kitchens?" Harry asked drily.

"Well, yes, but that's not the point."

Before Harry could reply to that, he had a roll shoved into his mouth, making the first years around them laugh. Harry just rolled his eyes and ate the roll.

-0-0-0-

"Potter, do I want to know how you got into our common room?" a voice asked tiredly.

Harry glanced up and smiled at Cedric Diggory. "Oh, hey Diggory."

"I invited him in," Sarah said, coming to a stop next to the sixth year. "Is that okay?"

Cedric smiled at the girl. "Usually, not really. But Potter and his mates are generally okay, since they're all trying out the various Houses and can probably get themselves into any of the common rooms without corrupting innocent first years." He eyed Harry suspiciously.

"I'm wounded, Diggory," Harry said.

"Sure you are. Don't think I don't know where you're headed last, Potter," Cedric commented.

Harry grinned knowingly. "Yeah? Please feel free to share that with my godfather; he still thinks I'm a Gryffindor."

"You?!" Cedric choked. "Haven't you known each other for two years now?"

"Yup!" Harry agreed, then stood from the chair he'd borrowed. "Well, Sarah and I are off to catch up. I promise to have her back by curfew."

Cedric eyed the younger boy suspiciously. "Uh-huh. Do I need to wait up and make sure of that?"

"Mmm, well..." Harry eyed the badger clock on the wall with a cringe. "I'll try."

"Hmph. Just don't get caught by Snape."

Harry grinned. "I do try not to, you know."

"Yeah, right," Cedric nodded disbelievingly. "Well, go on then."

"Cheers, Diggory!" Harry called, leading his sister from the room.

"Snape's not _really_ that bad, is he?" Sarah asked. "I had him this morning. He's a bit harsh, but he's not _horrible_."

Harry shrugged. "He went to school with James Potter," he explained. "They didn't get on, and I'm afraid James was the bully."

"Oh," Sarah said in understanding.

Once they got to the Room of Requirement – which had created a nice little sitting room with hot cocoa for them to talk in – Harry said, "It's not that cold, Hogwarts."

_'That's what __**you**__ think,'_ the school retorted. _'And hello, there, Miss Slytherin.'_

Sarah looked around the room in awe. "That's the school? She's conscious?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Rowena – Hermione, now – made the spell herself. She figured it would be better to have a school that could think for itself, rather than just having a building that sat passive." He grinned. "Considering she's lasted a thousand years, I'd say Row had a pretty good idea."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah! So, who else is there? I guess the other Founders are here? And when did _you_ help found a _school_? You _hated_ children."

Harry laughed nervously and sank into one of the chairs. "Well, Ron is Godric, and Sue – Susan – is Helga. And, uhm, well... Sarah, how much do you remember? From... before?" Harry asked, eyes glittering with concern.

Sarah shrugged. "Uhm, I remember going to sleep. I think... Yeah! Tomorrow was going to be my fourteenth birthday!"

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Thank Merlin..."

Sarah looked at him suspiciously. "All right, Salazar Slytherin, what happened?"

Harry swallowed. "It was... not pretty. Uhm, Father and I had a fight. He left. You–" Harry choked and closed his eyes. "You were killed a month later."

Sarah bit her lip. "How?"

Harry shook his head. "Sarah, I failed you. That's all you need to know."

"Salazar!"

"I'm not telling you, Sarah!" Harry snapped back, glaring at her. "You don't need to know. Fuck, sweetie, I don't _want_ you to know."

Sarah huffed and pouted a bit. "That's not fair."

Hogwarts carefully commented, _'Sarah, he still has nightmares about it. Part of his denial is because he, himself, doesn't wish to think about it.'_

Since Harry didn't appear to have heard that comment, Sarah cleared her throat and said, "So, what did you do then? After."

Harry looked so relieved at the change of topic, that Sarah thought Hogwarts might have been right. "Well, I wandered a bit. A lot, really. I eventually came across Rowena and Godric, who were childhood friends, and they sort of dragged me into their group. They were teaching magical children in their home village at the time – in secret, mind – but they knew there were a lot of other children who never learned about their magic, especially the muggleborns. They wanted to start a school, a proper school, but they didn't think they could do it on their own. I didn't have anything better to do, so when they asked, I told them I'd help.

"About a year after that, we met Helga, who had been doing the same thing Row and Ric had been doing. We found an old castle that was abandoned and falling apart and bought it cheap from the last of the family who it had belonged to. We spent a long time rebuilding the castle, and when Row suggested making her sentient, we spent a few years on that. Once the school was built, we gathered some friends who were willing to teach – including one of Helga's sisters and Willard Justice, if you remember him?" Sarah nodded, smiling in memory at the mention of her brother's best friend when they'd been kids. "Well, once we had a staff, we found kids. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"Slightly coloured history, though," Sarah commented. "Doesn't look much like you and Godric had a huge fight and you left the school."

Harry laughed. "Well, no. A lot of the history has been coloured over the years by tales of how Dark I was and my hatred of muggles. I'm sure my Heirs didn't help."

"You had _kids_?!" Sarah squeaked.

Harry grimaced. "Yeah. A son and a daughter. Lisa, my wife, left me after Sarah, my daughter, was born. Met Ric and Row after that."

Sarah blushed at the realization that her brother had named his daughter after her. "So you never saw them again?"

"No." Harry looked away. "Lisa refused to let them come to the school. I believe she died shortly after the school was built in the Dark Wizarding Wars, but I don't know for sure."

"Oh, Sal..."

Harry smiled. "It's all right. Row had Helena, and we all helped raise her, even if she did end up being a bit of a brat. And I had all sorts of kids, after."

Sarah smiled at that. It had been hard to imagine her brother as a teacher, but if he'd had children who he'd been unable to raise, it made sense that he would have managed with students. She'd always said that he would have made a wonderful father, no matter how much he said he hated children.

"So, what's your family like?" Harry asked, finally picking up and sipping at his hot cocoa. "Now, I mean?"

Sarah shrugged, smile fading. "I don't have a family. My mum died giving birth to me – sound familiar? – and I got left with an orphanage. Never even knew her name. I suppose she must have been a witch, since there was no record of her anywhere in the muggle world."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."

Sarah shrugged again. "It was okay. The kids at the orphanage thought I was a bit odd, since I acted so much older, but I grew up fine, I guess. One of the older boys there, Andrew Kirke, had it really hard, because he always performed accidental magic as a kid, so he got beat up a lot. I already knew how to control my magic, so they left me alone."

"Andrew Kirke?" Harry mumbled. "Gryffindor, year above me. I didn't know he was picked on at home."

Sarah smiled a bit. "He was adopted about five years ago by a squib. Wonderful woman. I think she only came because she'd heard about his magic and the abuse he was facing. She could only take one of use, though, and since the other kids were leaving me alone..."

"She could tell you were a witch?" Harry asked, leaning forward.

Sarah shrugged. "I was the only person to befriend Andy, and I told him a bit about magic, so he could control it better. I think he told her."

"Huh. Well, I'm glad he got out of there. And I'm glad they didn't hurt you."

Sarah beamed. "I love you too, Sal."

Harry chuckled and rubbed at his neck. "Yeah."

_'It's nearly curfew,'_ Hogwarts offered gently. _'Sal can get back without getting caught, but Sarah should head back soon. Cedric Diggory is waiting for her.'_

Harry laughed at that and they both stood. "Ah, Diggory. He really did earn that prefect badge. Well, let's get you back, Sarah. I do believe the Ravenclaws will murder me if I lose them points on the first day back, especially for something as trivial as bringing a first year back late."

Sarah giggled and let Harry take her hand to take her back to her dorm. "Why do you two call each other by your last names?"

Harry grinned. "Old time's sake, really. Diggory caught me out a lot the first month of my first year – I was always coming in late and stuff back then, since I didn't really care about curfew – and he'd always call me 'Potter' when it happened. So I took to calling him 'Diggory' in response. It sort of stuck, even though by the end of the year he stopped disliking me so much, since I stopped ignoring all the rules."

Sarah shook her head in amusement. "Sal, I love you, but you're a complete loony."

"Why thank you," Harry agreed cheerfully, then walked through the painting which had opened without a password. "Here you are, Diggory. Back without a hair out of place and before curfew, as promised."

Sarah giggled while Cedric rolled his eyes. "And you, Potter? I'm pretty sure the Ravenclaw tower is a bit farther away than five minutes."

"That, Diggory, is because you don't know the shortcuts," Harry replied smartly, then hugged Sarah. "I'll see you in the morning, sis."

Sarah smiled brightly. "Okay! Have a good night, Harry!"

Harry waved to her, then slipped from the common room. After he got a couple of hallways from the common room door, he had Hogwarts transport him to a couple hallways away from the Ravenclaw dorms – otherwise, he _wouldn't_ have made it in time – and cheerfully walked in. Padma called him over to where his other year mates were working on their homework for that day. He happily walked over to help them, absently summoning his own books from his dorm.

-0-0-0-

Friday morning, Harry slept through breakfast, since he didn't have a class until after lunch. About half an hour after breakfast had ended, however, the curtains around his bed were thrown open and a small body launched itself onto his stomach. "Time to wake up, big brother!" Sarah sang happily.

Harry groaned and blinked up at her. "Come on, Sarah. I was _sleeping_."

"Be that as it may," Susan commented drily from next to the bed, "_you_ promised to help me today."

Harry groaned again. "Demons."

Sarah bounced on him again, making Harry moan a bit, then slipped off and grinned at him madly from next to Susan. "Yup! Now get up. Sue told me what you're up to and I want to help."

Harry eyed Susan curiously and the girl shrugged. "She doesn't have any classes today, so I told her she could. You were an ace with wards before we met, so I wasn't sure what she already knew or not."

Harry sighed. He hadn't really researched warding until after he'd settled down with his wife, so Sarah didn't really know much about it unless she'd looked it up without him, but since it meant spending time with his sister, he wasn't about to complain. "Yeah, yeah. Now out!"

Sarah giggled and stage whispered, "He always sleeps nude."

"He also always sleeps with his wand," Susan replied, absently blocking a tickling charm. "Come along now."

Harry hissed some choice words in parseltongue, making Sarah blush brightly before the door closed behind them, then got up and got dressed.

When he made it down to the common room, he was given a roll and a banana and herded by the two girls to the Room of Requirement. There, they sat down to their reading on the wards. It was slightly less boring with Sarah occasionally chirping a question, and the two ex-teachers found themselves enjoying explaining the basics to her. Even if they got less done than they would have without her, at least they had fun doing it.

-0-0-0-

The weekend was spent getting to know Sarah, since the other Founders had only heard of her in passing; Salazar had never really spoken of Sarah much, since most of his memories of her were overshadowed by her death. Sarah equally enjoyed hearing about her brother's "family," as well as learning more about his life after her death. Sarah was also quite horrified to find out that her brother's family as Harry Potter had been destroyed by his own Heir.

Sunday was spent showing Sarah the castle and her secrets. They spent lunch in the kitchens and got lost in the dungeons – except not quite as lost as they had been during their first year, since the others had all had a turn in Slytherin House, which involved a fair stretch of time in the dungeons.

The rest of the month of September and all of October was much like the Founders' previous years, except with Sarah's new eyes and constant excitement. As Harry had almost expected, as soon as Snape realised Harry was very fond of Sarah and had started calling her 'sister', he became unbearable towards the girl. The Friday before their first Hogsmeade trip, October 29th, Harry finally snapped.

The two once-Slytherins had been sitting by the lake with some bread and fruit they'd gotten from the house elves. They had been alternating eating the food and tossing it to the squid when Snape came up behind them and said, "Fifty points from both your Houses for bothering the squid."

Harry turned to look at the man and glared. "Okay, I've about had it with you, you fucking _prick_. I get that you had issues with my father and godfather. I get that I look so much like my father that you're taking it out on me because he's _dead_. I even get that you were friends with my mum, once, before you were a jerk and pushed her away. Yeah, that's fine. But if you continue to take your problems with a _dead man_ out on me and, _worse_, Sarah, I will take this to the governors and have your arse _fired_. Are we clear?"

Snape stared at the boy for a long moment, apparently unable to comprehend the fact that Harry had just spoken to him so sharply. "_Three hundred points from Ravenclaw_," he finally said, absolutely furious.

Harry eyed him coldly, then nodded and stood. "Come on, Sarah. I have a letter to write."

"Are you _threatening_ me, Potter?" Snape hissed.

Harry smiled coldly. "Oh, no, Snape. I _already_ threatened you. _Now_ I am carrying through on my threat."

"The Headmaster will hear of this," Snape spat.

Sarah snorted. "Once my brother's spoken to the governors, Snape, I don't think he'll have much to say except 'good-bye'." Then she followed Harry passed the shocked professor and back into the school.

-0-0-0-

When Hermione found out what had happened at dinner, she sat down across from Harry, who gave her a wary look, and said, "I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did."

Harry blinked, then snorted. "Well, considering all I've been told they did to him, I was willing to let it be, and you three could take care of yourselves. But Sarah's just a kid, and she has _nothing_ to do with this. I couldn't–"

"Harry," Hermione soothed, placing a hand over Harry's gently. "It's okay. I understand. He's been impossible from day one, and I'm glad you finally did something about it. What I want to know – what _all_ of us want to know – is what you're planning to do if the Headmaster fights the governors?"

Harry smiled grimly. "I suppose I'll have to find a way to get to Gringotts," he replied, referring to their agreement that all four Founders would wait to access their old accounts until they either came of age, or the Founders needed to appear.

Hermione nodded. "That's what I thought you would say. You know the rest of us are behind you."

Harry smiled tightly and set his free hand atop hers. "Yeah. And I can't tell you how much better that makes me feel."

-0-0-0-

Harry made himself relax for their first trip off school grounds. He also decided to use the trip as a good excuse to spoil his sister rotten without her there to stop him. He dragged everyone with him to the stationary shop and bought Sarah some new quills and parchment, since he'd noticed her supplies were poor quality. He then dragged them over to the candy shop, where he bought a few things for himself and loads of sweets for Sarah. His friends also bought candy there, Ronald commenting that Harry was _adorable_ with a younger sibling. (Ronald was promptly cursed with the Babbling Curse, then silenced by Hermione before he said something dangerous.)

Finally, Harry made a trip to the robe shop to buy his sister some new robes, since they were also second-hand – he'd bribed one of her roommates for her size in preparation for the excursion. Then he let his friends drag him over to the Three Broomsticks for a break. There, they sat and joked about various things, taking care to avoid the discussion of Snape and what they would have to do if Dumbledore fought it.

After their break, the friends went to Zonkos, where Ronald made an effort to find something he could use to play on his brothers while his friends snickered behind him. When Harry wistfully commented that it was a pity there was no pet store in Hogsmeade, his friends decided it was time to go back to the castle, before Harry could talk them into finding a way to London.

On their way back to the castle, Susan commented, "It's impressive how much that tiny village has prospered over the centuries."

"I know!" Hermione agreed, eyes bright. "Remember when we first built the school, and there were only a couple homes there?"

"Yeah," Harry added drily. "Weren't those the people who mocked us for trying to build a school for magical children? 'It'll never happen' or 'It will fall into decay once you've died'."

"Shush," Ronald said, shaking his head. "Happy thoughts, you old bag."

Harry snorted. "Happy thoughts, huh? I don't know how many of those I have."

"I'd like to hear you say that around your sister," Ronald shot back.

"Boys," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Harry and Ronald promptly stuck their tongues out at her in response.

Susan shook her head at them. "So, when do you want to look at the wards, Sal?"

Harry glanced up at the dome that only he and Susan could really see. "Next weekend?" he suggested. "We probably could have done it today–"

"But we had to go to Hogsmeade," Susan agreed.

"Bad idea to mess with them when children are going in and out of them, anyway," Ronald commented, squinting up at the wards that he couldn't actually see.

"We're just planning to look at them first," Susan said defensively. "We wouldn't actually _mess_ with them while there are so many students on campus."

"Yeah, if we have to change things, we'll wait until winter hols," Harry agreed. "And while I hope we _don't_ have to change anything, our reading and the fact that we've already found two pieces of Voldemort's soul on the premises shows that we _will_ have to change things."

"I can already see they're a mess," Susan said with regret, eyeing the wards they were about to walk through. She paused and pointed to something only she and Harry could see. "Look at this, Sal."

"Eh?" Harry leaned in and looked at the addition with a slightly sick look on his face. "The fuck?"

"What is it?" Hermione asked, squinting hopefully.

"A curse," Harry muttered, "on the Defence position."

"Really?" Susan said. When Hermione and Ronald looked at her strangely, she said, "It's not English?"

"No, it's parseltongue," Harry agreed, frowning. "And it's not actually a ward; it's a desperate, hate-filled _need_."

"How the hell did _that_ get there?" Ronald demanded.

"I haven't the faintest," Harry replied, motioning that they should continue on.

"A hypothesis," Hermione suggested.

"Better than what we've got," Susan replied with a nod.

"When the wards were changed, who changed them?" Hermione asked, referring to the time when the Founders had held off the muggle attackers.

"The other staff and older students," Ronald replied.

"Of _course_," Harry whispered. "The _students_."

"Moreover, if it's in parseltongue, it's _extremely_ likely one of your Heirs added it," Susan realised. "And we never thought to block our own blood from adding to the wards."

"Yeah, okay, but how could a _need_ become part of the wards?" Ronald asked.

"It translated the need into a ward, of sorts, because there wasn't _actually_ a ward for it," Harry said. "Not really. The need was so strong, it had to be put somewhere, so it was put onto the wards."

"Based on where it was in the wards," Susan added, "I'd say it was placed when the person stating the need left the grounds."

"Reasonable," Hermione agreed. "Perhaps they'd just been denied the position them self?"

"Or maybe they hated their Defence professor like Sal hates Snape," Ronald suggested.

"I don't hate him!"

"I wonder when the curse first started taking effect," Susan murmured. "Sal, what _was_ the need, anyway?"

"For the Defence professor to not last longer than a year."

"Ooh, fun. So the teaching will be subpar over the years, giving Hogwarts a distinct disadvantage," Ronald commented. "I'd say that sounds like something your Heir would do, Sal."

Harry frowned down at the grass. "Yeah. Me too."

Hermione huffed. "Salazar, you cannot blame yourself for everything that monster does! He's not your responsibility!"

"Tell that to the rest of this damn world," Harry snapped back.

"Sal, he's not your fault," Susan whispered. "None of this was. It's not your fault you couldn't raise your own kids. It's not your fault your legacy was twisted through the years. It's _certainly_ not your fault that a bitter man who just _happens_ to share your blood is the cause of all the troubles over the past twenty-some-odd years."

"Mate, you weren't even _alive_ when he picked his course," Ronald agreed gently. "And no matter what the wizarding world thinks, it's not your job to stop him, either. Even if that's what you intend to do."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced up at Hermione. "Sorry, Row."

Hermione smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. If Helena hadn't died and it was _my_ Heir that was causing all this trouble, I'd probably feel the same way."

"Reassuring," Ronald commented, then ducked the swing Hermione took at his head.

"Harry!" a voice shouted just before a blur barrelled into Harry's stomach, knocking him over backwards.

Harry laughed and hugged his sister. "Hey, sweetie. I got you some things."

Sarah huffed at him. "You were supposed to go to Hogsmeade to _enjoy yourself_, Salazar. Not buy me things."

"Oh, we made sure he had a break with us," Susan said lightly, leaning down to help the girl to her feet.

"Yeah, and he bought himself some candy," Ronald agreed, pulling Harry up.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look: new robes, some new quills and parchment, and a bunch of candy. And I'm allowed to spoil you! I've already missed eleven years of your life!"

"Wait until Christmas," Ronald stage whispered. "Your pile of presents will be bigger than your bed."

"That's not fair," Sarah complained, taking the bag of things Harry hand handed over. "I don't have any way to buy _you_ anything."

"Sarah," Harry said gently, pulling her into a hug, "having you here is gift enough."

"Awww..."

"Shut up, Godric."

Ronald traded looks with the other two girls, then they all said, "Awww..." before turning and running for the castle, ducking the curses Harry sent after them.

-0-0-0-

As luck would have it, the governors wouldn't let Dumbledore fight them, they simply fired Snape themselves and told Dumbledore he had a week to find a new Potions professor or they would be finding one for him. By Friday, Dumbledore had managed to find a man named Horace Slughorn to fill the post. Hermione thought the man was awful, the way he "collected" students, but Harry had just shrugged and said, "He's a Slytherin, Row."

That weekend was spent observing the wards. Ronald and Hermione walked around the perimeter of the school wards with Susan and Harry, making it seem like the four friends were simply out for a walk. (Sarah had wanted to come, but when Harry asked her about her homework and she admitted she'd barely touched it, he became rather strict and sent her to work on it, saying that if he caught her outside when she hadn't finished, he'd spank her, like their father used to do.)

After their examining, Susan and Harry made a list of everything they'd seen that was wrong. Sunday, they walked the perimeter again and made sure they'd noticed everything, recording the three things they'd missed. They agreed to spend the next month researching ways to fix everything without completely bringing down the wards or alerting the staff to their changes, then spent the rest of that day spending time with Hermione, Ronald and Sarah, who had finally finished her homework that afternoon.

Almost as soon as winter break arrived and the student population had mostly vacated the building, Harry and Susan started fixed the wards, while Hermione, Ronald and Sarah worked to keep the staff occupied and away from the other two Founders and their work.

They took a break on Tuesday to enjoy Yule together, but on Wednesday the two friends were back to work again.

By Friday, thankfully, the wards were finished, and Hogwarts was all the happier for it. (Apparently, the faulty wards had been draining her strength a bit, and having them fixed allowed her better control over the rest of the building and grounds. Harry also noted, with a wince, that Dark magic would be less likely in the school now, since they'd added some wards against it. His friends were, understandably, worried, since Salazar had used a number of Dark rituals on himself, most of which should still be active on Harry. Harry had admitted that it was making him a little uncomfortable, but Hogwarts herself was keeping most of the wards from affecting him too badly.)

Friday brought a surprise guest, who practically danced into the Great Hall that morning, wearing the biggest grin any in attendance had ever seen on his face.

"Sirius?" Harry asked as the man danced up to him.

Sirius pulled Harry from his seat and swung him around. "You got rid of Snape!"

Harry laughed and carefully tugged out of his godfather's excited grip. "Well, he was being stupid, and I was tired of it."

"I think it's _excellent_."

"Sirius," Remus said with a helpless sigh as he walked over. "Severus was a teacher–"

"He was an arse," Sirius shot back.

Remus looked down at Harry pleadingly. Harry shrugged. "Sorry, Uncle Remus, but he was. Everything Dad and you lot ever did to him, he paid back to me tenfold. Which, hey, was fine. Mostly. But then he started picking on Sarah too..."

Remus nodded in understanding. He'd seen how protective Harry was of the first year he'd practically adopted since that first day. An older Slytherin was said to have been picking on the girl and had ended up in the hospital wing within the hour, sporting some very painful boils. There were no witnesses and nothing pointing to Harry having been the person to attack the boy, but everyone who knew Harry suspected him. If Snape had been bothering Sarah, it was a surprise he'd lasted until Hallowe'en.

"Speaking of Miss Sarah, where is she?" Sirius asked, looking over Harry's shoulder comically.

Harry glanced back at his friends and waved his sister over. When Sarah came to a nervous stop next to her brother, Harry beamed and said, "Sirius, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Sirius, my godfather."

"Pleased to meet you," Sarah said. She wasn't sure how well Harry's godfather would take to her, and she wanted this man to like her, since he was part of her brother's family. Harry, of course, was already sure Sirius would love her.

Sirius eyed her curiously, then rose an eyebrow at Harry. "She's much politer than your letters say, pup."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah? It's _clearly_ because you're intimidating. I mean, Merlin, who _knows_ what you're going to pull next?"

Remus snorted and walked back to his seat at the head table, shaking his head. Sarah elbowed Harry for his comment, making Sirius laugh. "Ah, I think I'll like her," he decided. "So, how about some of that good Hogwarts grub?"

Harry snickered and half-led, half-shoved Sarah back over to the table. "Really, Sirius. Can't you act your age?"

"I _am_ acting my age!"

"Yeah, your _mental_ age," Hermione offered with a smirk. When Sirius gave her a wounded look, she smiled innocently and said, "How are you, Sirius?"

"Yeah. And how long are you here, for?" Ronald added, mouth full of food. Hermione promptly cursed his mouth glued shut.

Sirius grinned at the two of them. "I'm fine. Was a bit hurt that Harry decided, _again_, to spend Christmas with you bunch of loonies, so I decided to just come over here myself, since he won't come to me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "_Sooo_ sorry, Sirius." They'd laughed over Harry's constant need to stay at Hogwarts over the winter hols that summer, and Sirius had said that he really didn't mind, since Harry was happy, and Sirius could just as easily come for a couple of days to stay at Hogwarts.

"So you're here for all of Christmas, then?" Susan asked curiously while Ronald finished silently un-cursing himself so he could eat more.

"Yup! Well, until Sunday afternoon-ish, really. This, of course, means snowball fights. And I get Moony on my side!"

The Founders traded looks. "Okay," Harry agreed easily.

Sirius looked at them suspiciously, trying to figure out why they'd agreed to go against two Marauders with such ease. "And Fred and George."

"Okay," Harry said again.

"Can _I_ play?" Sarah asked, eyes bright.

"Sure," Harry decided. "You can play on our side, unless, of course, Sirius is afraid of four third years _and_ a first year?" He looked up at Sirius with a smirk.

Sirius puffed out his chest and looked down at Harry like he was little more than a bug he'd just stepped on. "Sirius Black has no fear of _children_."

The Founders and Sarah shared a knowing smile while Sirius hopped down the table to ask his chosen teammates to play. The twins looked ecstatic, despite losing pitifully two years in a row. Remus looked a little wary, since he'd seen Harry and his friends in classes, but agreed anyway, since he was feeling fine, despite the recent full moon. (Harry had continued to shoot the old spells he knew at Remus on the days following the full moon, since he wasn't sure how he could explain knowing them, and Remus never seemed to notice the spells, anyway.)

After breakfast, the nine combatants bundled up and made their way outside. There was a half-hour cease-fire, during which both teams built a fort and created a store of ammunition. Both teams also planned who would be refilling the ammunition supply and who would be throwing.

On the Founders' team, Harry, Ronald and Susan were given the duty of throwing the snowballs, while Hermione and Sarah loaded ammunition. Harry and Ronald had the best aim, but Harry and Susan's magical sight gave them just enough of an edge that they could always tell which direction to throw. (Of course, the four friends also used homing spells on their snowballs, so they always hit, no matter where they were thrown. Sarah was quickly taught both the spell for making the snowballs and the homing spell.)

Without warning, the war began. With three throwers – who didn't even have to poke their heads over their fort's wall, really – on their side, the Founders quickly put their opponents on the defensive. After about ten minutes, Harry and Susan saw that their opponents were using the incoming snowballs as cover to approach their opponents. The two friends traded with Hermione and Sarah and, after quick warming charms, turned into their animagus forms so they could sneak up behind their opponents.

The four older wizards attempted a surprise attack by dumping a bunch of snow into their opponents' fort, but they found the place empty, as the other three had vacated shortly after Harry and Susan, choosing to make themselves invisible and hop out before the supposed sneak attack hit. While the other team stood there in confusion, Harry and Susan became human behind them and levitated a huge pile of snow, which they promptly dumped on the party of wizards.

After much sputtering, Sirius, Remus and the twins had managed to mostly unbury themselves, and Sirius demanded, "How'd you know?"

"Our secret," Susan said with a bright smile, which Harry buffed his nails on his coat.

"Shall we go back in?" Hermione suggested, taking the spells off herself and Sarah while Ronald removed his own. "_Before_ you four catch colds?"

"I thought that spell was NEWT-level," Sirius said suspiciously, eyeing Hermione and Ronald.

"Of course it is," Ronald agreed. "But 'Mione's a studying nut, so we all know it. Well, except Sarah, but she's exempt, as she's still a first year."

"Oh, come on, gape inside," Harry demanded. "It's bloody cold out here." He shivered faintly. Changing into his snake form, of course, had made him even colder than before, despite the warming charm.

The group tromped in and everyone went to change in their dorms or rooms. When Percy saw the twins, he said, "Lost again?"

"Did we ever," they agreed, then continued on to their room.

-0-0-0-

Christmas dawned bright, and the Founders and Sarah all woke to a pile of presents. As Ronald had guessed, Sarah had a huge pile of gifts, but Harry hadn't been the only person to have spoiled her; all of the Founders had gotten her a number of things. She'd also received some gifts from her housemates and a care package from Mrs Weasley, which had surprised her, as she'd never even met the woman before. (Ronald later explained that, since he'd mentioned how Harry had practically adopted her, his mother had added another sweater to her list of things to make.)

The best gift, however, came when they'd all met in the Great Hall for breakfast. Sirius had stopped behind Sarah and Harry and said, "I believe I forgot to get someone a gift."

"You don't have to," Sarah replied, blushing. "I mean, we only just met."

Sirius smiled at her and knelt next to the bench, so he could see her eye-to-eye. "Yes, but the way Harry talks about you, I feel as if I've known you all year. And since I really met you yesterday, I think I have the perfect gift for you: Sarah Smith, would you like to become a Black?"

It took everyone a second to realise what Sirius meant. When Sarah connected the dots, she squealed and half-fell over the bench to give Sirius a hug. Next to her, Harry was smiling with tears in his eyes. Across the table, Hermione and Susan were staring on in happy amazement, while Ronald laughed at the lot of them.

The Founders and Sarah were all in agreement that it had been the best Christmas any of them had ever had.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Really, I had intended for Harry to officially adopt Sarah as his sister, but I wasn't sure how it would work, so I just had Sirius adopt her instead. It had the desired outcome. XD  
Alternately, every time I read over that last bit, I get this horrible urge to squee. It's terrifying. XD

Oh yeah! So, because I'm curious, if you're a person who tends to review – if you don't, I'm not really mad, goodness knows I'm _horrible_ at reviewing these days –and you read this author's note, mention it in your review. Because I keep getting a lot of stupid questions that are answered in the A/Ns, and I just want to see how many people actually _read_ them.

Next chapter, a brief finish of their third year, some mention of the summer, and fourth year begins! Yes, my friends, that means the TriWizard Tournament!  
Also! Considering that I updated Wand and Dagger when I wasn't going to during NaNo, this might get another update before December! (Of course, this chance goes up marginally if Shara_Lunison is happy, which means you awesome people out there should go read and review her stories. Especially The Boys Who Lived, which rocks. -nod, nod- )

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _The Deepest River_


	7. The Deepest River

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Draco/Ron, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** Yes, Sarah's her real name in both timelines. It's common enough. Because I was asked. And no, guys, she's not a character you know from canon. She's an OC. I'm allowed to make OCs every once in a while. XP

-0-0-  
_The Deepest River  
_-0-0-

The rest of the year passed uneventfully. After showing off their animagus forms during the snowball fight, Harry and Susan found themselves teaching an excited Sarah the basics of achieving her own form. They had warned her that, even with their help, she probably won't manage her form until the next year at the very earliest, especially since, as her wand was registered with the Ministry, she couldn't perform magic at home. (This had led to the questions about why Harry and Susan's wands _weren't_ registered and how Sarah could go about getting her own special wand. In the end, Sarah had to just deal, since getting her own unregistered wand would be quite illegal and while Harry had no problems with it, Sirius would. Sirius didn't know, yet, that Harry had an unregistered wand.)

The train trip home ended up being quiet. Harry, Hermione and Susan had all pulled out books to read while Ronald cheerfully thrashed Sarah at chess. (Having spent all year with him, Sarah knew she had no chance at winning, but she still enjoyed trying.)

When they got off the train, the five friends hurried to find their families, who were all standing together. There were introductions around as everyone met Sarah, who seemed quite shy during the meeting and kept a tight hold on Harry's hand. Mrs Weasley, of course, thought the girl was just too precious and kept hugging her, which only made Sarah clutch Harry's hand tighter.

Sirius finally got the two ex-Slytherins away from the Weasleys and into his motorcycle – which he'd gotten back from Hagrid when he visited that Christmas and spent the time in between fixing it up so both Harry and Sarah could fit comfortably in the sidecar. He'd also gotten extra helmets, so the muggle authorities couldn't pull him over for not taking proper care of the two kids.

When they got home, Harry and Sirius haggled over where they'd visit that year while Sarah unpacked in her new room – Harry wanted to go to Italy so they could get Sarah a mask, since she'd felt a little left out during Carnevale, but Sirius wanted to do something closer to home, since Sarah was only a first year. Harry eventually won by pointing out that, as an orphan who'd never gone anywhere beyond the playground around the corner and Hogwarts, Harry had always wanted to see the world. Like, somewhere not British.

So they went to Rome. Then, after being unable to find Venetian masks so far south so late in the season, Sirius agreed to make a side-stop in Venice on the way back, where all three had a wonderful time getting lost in the winding streets of the city and Harry found a delicate silver and white mask with a green stone above the eyes in the Farfallina style for his sister, and had easily ignored Sirius' comments about it being too Slytherin for such a gentle girl. Sarah had innocently asked if they could spend more time in the water-bound city another summer and Sirius said he would think about it. Which meant yes, of course.

When they got back, Ronald cheerfully asked them if they already had tickets to the World Cup, to which Sirius replied, "What do you take me for?" and waved around three box seat tickets. When Harry asked how his godfather had managed such excellent seats, Sirius admitted that he'd mentioned that Harry had always wanted to go and gotten them free. Harry just shook his head and laughed.

The World Cup was everything the five friends had hoped it would be after all the hype, and they all returned to their tents in wonderful moods.

Just as Harry was falling asleep, the screams started, and he bolted upright in bed, wand in his hand. It took him a moment to realise the screams were distant, and by then, Sirius had hurried into his room with a sleepy Sarah in tow. "Death Eaters," the man said, eyes worried. "The older Weasleys have already gone to help and sent your friends into the woods and safety. I need you to take Sarah and follow them."

Harry nodded and jumped out of bed. As nice as it would be to put his Heirs' little followers in their places, taking care of his sister was his first priority. He grabbed her hand and led her out of the tent, while Sirius ran towards where flames were jumping into the air.

Once into the woods, Harry ran into Draco, who sneered at him. "Running away, Potter?"

Harry just rolled his eyes and looked at his sister, who was sleepily rubbing at her eyes next to him. "No, Draco, I'm keeping my sister from being cursed by your father. I see you're choosing the side of caution too, considering you're nowhere near them."

Draco sneered and turned back to watching the flames, so Harry led Sarah further into the woods, casting a Point Me spell to find the other Founders. "Sarah," he said over his shoulder, "could you cast a _Lumos_ ahead of us? Given the circumstances, I don't think the Ministry will care much."

"Yeah," Sarah agreed and Harry stopped so she could pull her wand out of the holster he'd gotten her for Christmas. After a moment, she whispered, "Sal? I can't find it!"

Harry swallowed and took Sarah's hand again. "Hopefully you just left it in the tent. Let's keep going for now, okay?"

Sarah nodded, then remembered Harry couldn't see her and said, "Right. Is there a night vision spell or something?"

Harry snorted. "You know, that would be a wonderful thing to know, wouldn't it? I suppose we'll look into that later. For now, just watch your step."

"Okay."

The two made it to the clearing where Ronald, Hermione and Susan were standing with Ginny. "We lost the twins," Ronald said when Harry eyed them curiously. "Do you know if it's over yet?"

Harry shook his head and put his wand away. "Afraid not. I was just following a Point Me spell. I suppose we're too far out to hear the figh–"

_"Morsmordre!"_ a voice shouted from behind them.

The four Founders pointed their wands towards the sound and quickly shot off a round of stunners. However, before they could go and check, cracks of apparation sounded all around them and they each threw up shields, standing around the two youngest witches protectively.

"That was effective," Ronald commented when the stunners shot at them all bounced off their shields and hit everyone who'd shot one off.

"Oh dear..." Hermione murmured, eyeing the people around them worriedly.

Harry sighed. "Ron, go see what we hit. Sue, 'Mione, you go find someone to wake. _Only one of them_."

"Aye, aye," Ronald agreed, then scampered off into the woods while Hermione and Susan went to find the person least likely to curse them on sight.

Harry turned to Ginny and Sarah. "All right?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied shakily. Sarah just nodded, aqua eyes looking around them darkly.

"Harry!" Ronald called.

"You two stay here," Harry ordered the two girls, then ran over to where Ronald was while Hermione and Susan set about rennervating what looked to be Susan's aunt. When he got to Ronald, the boy was holding a house-elf, who was holding a very familiar wand in one hand. "Sarah's wand," Harry breathed, snatching the wand from the petrified elf.

"Check the most recent spells," Ronald ordered, looking unusually serious.

Harry did, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the Dark Mark, as well as a couple other borderline spells. "An elf didn't cast those spells," he commented.

"No," Ronald agreed. "But there's no one else here. I checked. No other life signs."

Harry cursed in Parseltongue, then motioned for Ronald to follow him back into the clearing, where Hermione and Susan were explaining the events to Madam Bones, Arthur Weasley and another wizard who appeared to have just arrived. Sarah and Ginny had moved to stand over next to the two older girls.

"We found a house-elf," Ronald commented as they reached the group.

"It had my sister's wand," Harry added, then handed it over to Sarah before the wizard he didn't know could snatch it from his hands. "Oiy! And who are you, to be grabbing at little girls' wands?"

"Harry," Mr Weasley cautioned nervously, "this is Bartemius Crouch, from the Ministry. Barty, this is Harry Potter, and my son, Ron."

Crouch focused on the house-elf with a twitching eye. "There wasn't anyone with her?" he asked of the two boys. When both of them shook their heads, he nodded as if he'd expected their response and said, "Very well. Set her on the ground, please."

"You know this elf?" Ronald demanded, setting it gently on the ground.

"She is my house-elf, Winky. _Rennervate,_" Crouch said.

Since the man seemed to have everything under control, Madam Bones led her niece and Hermione around to wake the other witches and wizards, as they seemed quite proficient with the spell.

Winky came to slowly and seemed quite unsure of herself until she looked up, at which point she burst into tears. Crouch looked furious at this reaction and moved his foot back, as if to kick her.

Ronald carefully swept the sobbing elf up and out of the way. "_Don't_ kick her," he said coldly.

Mr Weasley cleared his throat nervously. "Now, Ron, it's Barty's house-elf–"

"Yeah?" Ronald replied, expression set. "I don't care. You can't kick an innocent elf."

"We don't know she's innocent," Mr Weasley replied.

"House-elves can't use wands," Harry said very softly. "There have been studies. There's no way she could have cast that spell," he finished, waving his hand above his head at the sickly green skull and snake.

Ronald sighed and turned Winky to face him. "Winky, can you tell me what you saw?"

Winky told them stutteringly about finding Sarah's wand in the woods. When asked about who cast, she just started crying and wouldn't stop.

Finally, Crouch told her how horrible an elf she'd been and said he'd be giving her clothes.

Harry and Ronald traded sharp looks and Harry stepped forward. "I'll buy her."

Crouch turned white as a sheet and Winky shut up.

Harry eyed the pale wizard curiously. What secrets was the man keeping, then? "I'll buy her from you," he said again. "I'll promise not to ask her anything she learned in your home," he added, smiling nastily when Crouch's cheeks turned back to a natural colour.

Crouch eyed Winky, who looked devastated by the turn of events, then back at Harry. "If I have your Oath you won't question her about my home, she's yours for free. I don't want to see her again."

Harry nodded and gave the Oath, carefully making sure he was still able to use Legilimency on the elf, and took the distraught elf from Ronald. "Is that fair?" he asked Crouch.

Crouch nodded and turned to leave.

"That still doesn't answer who cast that Mark!" one of the wizards the others had woken snapped.

"If Winky didn't see anyone, and she can't cast the spell, what does it matter?" Hermione asked with a disgusted look. "You won't find your answer here. Perhaps you should have tried harder to catch one of those Death Eaters running around out there, eh?"

Mr Weasley cleared his throat. "That's enough, Hermione. Why don't we get you six back to the tents..."

Susan and Ronald clapped hands over Hermione's mouth before she could say another word and the six children followed Mr Weasley from the clearing. Harry kept a tight hold on Winky, who had stopped crying, but still looked miserable. Sarah and Ginny had grasped hands and were walking together behind Mr Weasley, occasionally looking back to reassure themselves that their elder brothers weren't far.

A crowd met them before they could reach the tents and Mr Weasley gave a few non-answers before pushing through them and towards the tents. The four Founders glared at anyone who got in their way and Ronald pointed his wand threateningly at one wizard who reached out a hand pleadingly to Harry.

Sirius and the older Weasleys were waiting for them at the tents. As soon as Sirius saw Sarah, he hurried forward and enveloped her in a hug, whispering, "Are you okay?"

"Impressive, how good a dad he makes, all things considered," Susan commented to Harry while Ronald and Ginny checked in with their siblings.

Harry just sort of grinned and walked over to them. "Hey, Sirius."

"Hey, pup," Sirius replied, looking up with a smile. He blinked in surprise, then pointed at Winky and said, "Harry, you've got a house-elf in your arms."

"Sirius, you've got a smudge of dirt on your nose," Harry replied calmly, then smirked when Sirius crossed his eyes to try and see the imaginary smudge.

Sarah giggled. "Sirius, he's joking."

Sirius eyed Harry suspiciously for a moment, then got distracted when Winky sniffled. "Okay, the elf."

Harry shrugged. "I bought her from Crouch. He was going to sack her for hiding from the Death Eaters. Or something more suspicious, but I gave an Oath not to try and find out what," he added when Winky gave a great sob of terror. "Winky! I'm not going to ask you about Crouch! Calm down!"

Winky sniffed a bit and wiped at her eyes with her tea cosy. "Y-y-yes, H-harry Potter."

Sirius' eyes gleamed with mayhem. "I thought you said you bought her," he said.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Yeah?"

Sirius grinned. "Then why isn't she calling you 'master'?"

Winky looked horrified at her supposed faux pas, but Harry smartly replied, "Oh, I dunno? Because I'm not Voldemort?" which made Winky squeak and cover her ears.

Sirius laughed. "Touché."

Harry gently took Winky's hands from her ears. "I say his name," he told her, "because I have no reason to fear him. You shouldn't either; not while you're in my care. And you're not expected to call me 'master'. Certainly not after losing Crouch so suddenly, even if I _do_ think he's a bit of a jerk for doing such."

Winky sniffed. "Master Crouch is right to be punishing Winky," she said, ears drooping.

Harry shook his head. "If you say so. I, obviously, don't know the full story, so I can't say. I still think, however, that him publicly disowning you like that was cruel."

Sarah yawned widely and Sirius chuckled. "Well, house-elf or no house-elf, let's get you two to bed. It sounds like Arthur's planning to catch an early portkey back tomorrow morning, and I think we should do the same."

"Reasonable," Harry decided. He followed his sister back into their tent and helped her get into bed while Sirius spoke to the Weasleys, then went back to his room, where he'd ordered Winky to go. He found the elf standing in the middle of the room, looking very unsure of herself. "Winky," he said, kneeling in front of her, "I hardly know what Crouch had you doing, but I'll tell you now that I'm mostly self-sufficient and won't need much attention from you. Sirius also isn't fond of house-elves – something to do with his mother, I think – so you'll probably have to stay out of his way. If you'll help Sarah when she needs it, however, I'd very much appreciate it."

Winky nodded, eyes wide.

Harry waved his wand and a nest of blankets appeared. "For you," he told her.

Winky, clapped her hands over her mouth and whispered, "Master Harry Potter shouldn't be doing magic!"

Harry chuckled. "My wand's had the tracking charms removed. Don't worry about it."

Winky blinked slowly, then crawled into her nest and snuggled down into it. Harry smiled crookedly and waved the lights off, then climbed back into bed. Somehow, in spite of his unanswered questions, he managed to fall asleep before Sirius poked his head in to check on him.

-0-

"This is getting kind of old," Ronald complained as he stepped into the carriage his friends were in. "I'm tired of them refusing to tell me the big secret."

"What big secret?" Hermione asked.

"Whatever's going on at Hogwarts this year," Ronald replied.

"TriWizard Tournament," Harry and Susan chorused, then looked at each other curiously.

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"How'd you two find out, then?" Ronald demanded.

"Auntie," Susan replied.

"Winky," Harry said.

"Sirius," Sarah supplied, and smiled sweetly when Ron gave her a disgusted look, along with the other two.

"Sorry, Ric," Harry commented. "Looks like the rest of us have sources who don't care about keeping it hush-hush."

Ronald grumbled a bit and tossed himself into a seat. "Figures. Alright, then, how's Winky turning out?" he asked Harry. Hermione and Susan looked at him curiously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "She's fine. We laid down some ground rules and after a few false starts, we got everything figured out." He frowned. "Can you believe she expected me to _hit_ her once or twice? What are these wizards _teaching_ house-elves these days?"

"Fear by obedience," Susan replied.

Harry huffed. "And they called _me_ Dark. Merlin..."

"Uh, Sal?"

"Yes, Ric?"

"You _were_ Dark."

"Shut up, Ric."

The three girls laughed and they all opened books to read.

-0-

The four Founders waited at the front of the room while McGonagall went to get the first years. There had been some joking among their peers that the four should just forego the Sorting that year and sit in the Houses they were headed to, anyway, but tradition stood, so the four friends waited next to the Hat.

Once the first years were all in and ready to go, McGonagall gave the speech about Harry and his friends, then called, "Bones, Susan."

Susan hopped up to the stool and put the Hat on her head. It roared, "HUFFLEPUFF!" and she skipped over to the table while the rest of the Hall watched the Hat, as if expecting it to announce there'd be another Sorting next year.

Eventually, the students got it and everyone cheered.

"Granger, Hermione."

Hermione calmly walked up to the Hat and put it on. "RAVENCLAW!" it cried, and Hermione went to her precious House among shouts of joy from the other Houses.

"Potter, Harry," McGonagall called.

Harry eyed the Hat in the silence and it's brim opened and shouted, "SLYTHERIN! WITH A RESORTING NEXT YEAR!"

"Oh, shove off, you flea-infested piece of headwear," Harry said, hands on his hips while the rest of the Hall looked on in surprise.

"Well then put me on, you old bag," Hat retorted.

Harry glared at it suspiciously for a moment, then shot a cleaning charm at it and carefully set it on his head.

_'There, that wasn't too hard, was it?'_ the Hat asked cheerfully.

_'I can feel centuries of dirt slowly crawling into my hair,'_ Harry retorted.

The Hat snorted mentally, then called out, "SLYTHERIN, THEN!"

Harry huffed and placed the Hat back on the stool and walked over to his House, where he smirked knowingly at Draco and the other Slytherins in his year.

"Nice try with the Hat, Potter," Draco allowed him.

Harry just sneered.

"Weasley, Ronald."

Ronald put the Hat on with a grin, which widened when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Ronald hurried over to his House table among shouts of, "Yeah, Ron!" from his twin brothers.

The first years were sorted with much less fanfare and the students were left to eat. Hermione enjoyed an intellectual conversation while Susan made friends with her year mates. Ronald endured teasing from his brothers and greeted his new Housemates. Harry traded barbs with the Slytherins and ignored Draco's attempts to mock his supposed lack of knowledge about the TriWizard Tournament.

Finally, dessert had come and gone and Dumbledore stood to announce the TriWizard Tournament. When Harry didn't look surprised by the announcement, Draco huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Eventually, Dumbledore released them to bed, and Harry followed the other Slytherins down into the dungeon, happy to finally be going home.

-0-

A couple of days into term, Sirius finally sent a letter to Sarah, but not to Harry. After she'd read it, she shrugged at her brother, then passed him the note on the way to class with Remus.

_'Sarah,  
'How are your classes? Have you pranked Moony yet? Remember, by the end of the week!  
'Tell your brother I'll speak to him during Christmas. I've been told to wait that long.  
'Sirius'_

Harry frowned and tossed the letter in the fire. The next time he saw Remus in the hallway, he stopped him and asked, "Have you spoken to Sirius?"

Remus blinked, then looked a little worried. "He hasn't sent you any nasty letters yet, has he? I told him to give himself time to calm down before talking to... Why are you laughing?"

Harry paused to catch his breath, then said, "So _you're_ the person who told him to wait until Christmas!"

Remus blinked again, then sighed. "Until _Christmas_?" he replied. "_I_ just told him to wait until he wouldn't explode about your House!"

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "That idiot. Well, thanks for trying, Uncle Remus. I'm sure he'll come around before that."

Remus sighed and hugged Harry. "I hope so too, cub."

-0-

The Founders were not impressed by the other schools, though Ronald was madly jealous when Victor Krum sat with the Slytherins. (To his upset, Harry inquired as to his age and got hit with a tickling charm for it. Their 'discussion' promptly turned into an all out war in the middle of the hallway, which was ended when McGonagall stepped in, saying, "Honestly! One would think you two would be the _last_ people to fall into the whole Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry!" To which Harry calmly said, "Sorry, Professor, but this fight was over Krum, not our Houses. That last would just be ridiculous, you know?" McGonagall had sighed and left them to it after taking ten points from each of them for fighting in the hallway.)

To make things better, Harry invited Ronald over to the Slytherin table for lunch and introduced him to Krum. Draco made a few sneering comments about Ronald's poor family and Harry commented, "I'd rather have a family that's poor in money than one that's poor in love. Ron, did you _see_ Draco's mum at the match? I don't think you could get compassion or understanding out of her with an overpowered _accio_."

Draco turned bright red and left them alone after that, and Harry occasionally kicked Ronald's shin when he got too fanboy-ish towards Krum. (Interestingly enough, Ronald only kicked him back once, and Krum seemed quite pleased to be having a sane conversation with a fan.)

For dinner, Harry decided he didn't care about who was a champion, especially since he was already sure of who the other two schools would have, and – after hearing the names of the people from Hogwarts who put their names in – figured that either one of the blokes from Slytherin or, surprisingly, Cedric had the best chance of getting in. (Hermione and Ronald argued about Cedric's chances, but Harry just shrugged and winked at Susan, who had smiled knowingly.) Although Harry was disinclined to sit in the Great Hall for dinner – "It'll be four times as loud as usual," he'd complained – Ronald dragged him in and made him sit with the Slytherins and Durmstrang students. (Ronald, of course, had to sit with Harry, to insure he stayed there, and spent most of the meal chatting Krum up some more.)

"I'm surprised you're here, Potter," Draco said over pudding. "I was under the impression you were going to bed early, because you already knew who would be getting in."

"I would be in bed," Harry agreed, eyeing Ronald, "but Ron decided I should come and watch with everyone else, in spite of my protests."

Draco smirked. "He's a Gryffindor," he said, as if that explained everything.

"Hm, really? I heard he managed pretty well in your House two years ago," Harry replied evenly.

"Yeah? I hear he did even _better_ in Hufflepuff," Draco returned. "If he's anything, he's loyal."

"To Krum," Pansy Parkinson added nastily. "Look at that idiot fawn all over him."

"Rather like you would if he wasn't hogging Krum, you mean?" Millicent Bulstrode replied sweetly.

Pansy 'accidently' launched a glob of vanilla pudding towards her cousin, but Harry idly directed an empty plate to catch it first. He handed it over to Pansy with a smile. "Tricky thing, pudding."

Pansy sneered at him while Millicent gave him a thumbs up.

As the desserts vanished, the candles around the Hall went out, leaving only the Goblet of Fire burning. Dumbledore went to stand next to it, explaining what he wanted the champions to do. After a moment of silence, a lick of flame shot out a piece of parchment, and Dumbledore announced Krum's name. Ronald's cheer was one of the loudest of the bunch.

Next, Fleur Delacour was chosen for Beauxbatons, then Cedric for Hogwarts.

"Finally," Harry muttered as Cedric made his way towards the side room.

Just before Dumbledore could send them off, the Goblet shot out one last name. Dumbledore caught it, then turned to look first to the Gryffindor table, then to Slytherin. There, he looked straight at Harry and narrowed his eyes – the man was probably still upset with Harry for getting Snape sacked, but since Harry had refused to come to his office and be yelled at, the old man had never had the chance to say so. "Harry Potter!" he called.

"He picks _now_ to complain about Snape?" Harry muttered to Ronald.

But Ronald shook his head. "Harry, mate, I don't think this is about Snape. I think that scrap of parchment had your name on it."

"_What_?!" Harry hissed. "But I didn't–"

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted again. "Come up here!"

"_Go_!" Ronald hissed, and shoved Harry from his chair and out into the space between the tables.

Harry glanced over at where Susan and Sarah sat, pale-faced. Then at Hermione, who was shaking her head in denial – what sort of Slytherin would put their name up for a binding magical contract when they, technically, shouldn't be able to survive it? Up at the Head table, Remus looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Harry walked up the the Headmaster and snatched the piece of parchment from his hand and stared at his own handwriting. "Impossible," he whispered.

"Go and join the other champions," Dumbledore ordered tightly.

"But, sir–"

"_Now_, Mr Potter," Dumbledore said, pointing towards the room the others had gone towards.

Harry glared at the man, set his shoulders and walked to the room the champions had been sent to.

"Potter?" Cedric asked as Harry walked in.

"Do zey want us back?" the Delacour girl asked.

Harry sneered. "Not hardly."

Cedric blinked, recognising the defensive tone Harry had sometimes sported when something went wrong and he wasn't sure how to respond to it. "Harry?"

"Excellent, excellent!" Ludo Bagman said as he proceeded the other Heads and professors in. He tried to wrap his arms around Harry's shoulders, but the boy ducked him and glared. Bagman cleared his throat, then announced, "Harry, here, has just been picked as the fourth champion!"

"But zat iz impossible!" Delacour complained.

Harry's eyes brightened at that. "Good point. Is there anything in the rules about only three contestants being allowed to compete?"

Everyone looked at Crouch, and Harry narrowed his eyes at the man. Crouch cleared his throat. "I'm afraid this is unprecedented," he said. "So there's nothing about it in the rules, no. Mr Potter will have to compete."

"I didn't put my name in there," Harry insisted. "Surely _that_ means something?"

"I'm afraid not," Crouch replied, nervously not looking at Harry.

"Even if I have a witness who was with me at all times over the past two days that can verify I neither put my name in, nor asked anyone else to?" He pressed.

"As impressive as that would be," Crouch replied, "no. Your name came out, you're in the Tournament."

Harry cursed in German, earning him surprised looks from Krum, Karkaroff and Dumbledore. Crouch just frowned at him and told them all the rules.

When they were finally released, Cedric grabbed Harry's arm in the Great Hall. "Potter..."

Harry sighed and looked back at him with a tight smile. "Something I can help you with, Diggory?"

Cedric squeezed his arm. "You'll manage."

"Of course I will," Harry agreed. "But that doesn't mean I want to do it. And that's the crux of it all, isn't it? I don't want to be in this Tournament, but I have no choice, because someone entered my name for me."

Cedric nodded, then glanced around to make sure no one else could listen in. "If you need my help, you know where to find me," he said softly, then let go of Harry's arm and hurried out of the Hall.

Harry smiled after the older boy. "Ah, Cedric Diggory," he murmured, "if only the rest of Hogwarts was like you."

Before Harry could make his own way off to his bed, Dumbledore's voice called, "Mr Potter!"

Harry sighed and turned to look at the old man. "What do you want, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore stopped in front of him, frowning. "I'm not pleased with you for last year, still, Harry," he said. "But I want you to know that you won't be left on your own for this Tournament. I will judge and help you as fairly as I do the other champions."

"Hmm... You know, I'm sure that would reassure someone, but not me, Headmaster," Harry replied. "And you can hold a grudge against my getting Snape sacked for as long as you want, but since you weren't stopping him from abusing the students, I did." Harry showed his teeth in a slightly threatening smile. "I have to wonder, _Headmaster_, what the Founders would have thought of your allowing an abusive teacher to teach in their school." Then he turned on his heels and left the man standing in the middle of the Hall, looking surprised.

-0-

The next morning, Harry found a guest sitting at the Slytherin table.

"Sirius?"

Sirius jumped up from his staring match with Draco and drew Harry into a hug. "You're okay?" he asked.

Harry nodded, too surprised to say much else. He, honestly, hadn't expected to see Sirius until the hols, no matter what happened in the meantime.

Sirius looked suspiciously at the Slytherin table and led Harry from the Hall. "Moony owled me last night with everything," he explained on their way to the kitchens. "You didn't put your name in there to make me calm down, did you?"

Harry blinked and shook his head. When Sirius sighed in relief, Harry snorted and punched him in the shoulder. "You git! I would _not_ enter myself into a bloody tournament to get your attention! Well," he amended, "not unless I had a way out."

Sirius shook his head. "Where did I go wrong?" he asked the ceiling. "A Slytherin for a godson!"

Harry cleared his throat. "You're not going to explode?"

Sirius sighed. "No, I suppose not. Now, don't get me wrong, I _despise_ Slytherins! But you're my godson, and your parents would _kill_ me if I left you to rot in that dungeon. Which reminds me!" he continued loudly as he tickled the pear. "Do you have enough blankets? You _do_ know how to perform a warming charm, right?"

Harry laughed and shook his head helplessly. "Prat!" he declared.

Sirius winked. "That's me! Now, about this Tournament..."

And Harry and Sirius enjoyed a relatively peaceful breakfast, discussing the Tournament and Harry's plans for getting through it alive.

-0-

Two weeks later, someone made badges that supported Cedric and put down Harry. Cedric very firmly shot a blasting curse at one someone tried to give him, and told all his friends he expected them to support Harry as the boy was, in case they'd forgotten, a fellow Hufflepuff.

Harry, of course, was much more direct. He used Hogwarts to track down the maker of the badges – an upper year Gryffindor who was none too pleased by one of the champions being a Slytherin – and cheerfully hexed the boy's balls off, then walked away. Word was, Madam Pomfrey had been able to return said balls, and since Harry had magically sworn the boy's mouth shut about who cursed him, there was no way they'd know it was him. Within a few days, between the Hufflepuffs, some disgusted Slytherins, and Harry's friends, the badges all disappeared.

On the thirteenth of November, Harry was called from his Potions class for some sort of champions thing. When he got there, a bright-eyed woman smiled and dragged him off into a closet for an interview.

As soon as the door shut, Harry mused, "I wonder if there's a way to avoid walking out of this closet."

"Why is that, dear?"

Harry smiled coldly, "Why, I'm not gay, of course."

The Skeeter woman looked quite confused by the muggle euphemism.

Before she could ask her first question, Harry shot a blasting curse at her quill. When it exploded into slivers of feather, Harry smiled winningly and said, "I _despise_ Quick-Quotes Quills, I'm sure you understand. They always shine a poor light on me. Now, if you were to, I don't know, use a _normal_ quill, you may interview me. Of course, if this interview shows me at all in a bad light, I'll have to sue you, so I'd be careful with what you write."

Skeeter looked insulted. "You can't sue me!"

Harry's smile turned nasty. "Maybe not, but I sure as hell can pay the _Daily Prophet_ enough to fire you."

Skeeter looked a little white and pulled out a new quill. Before she could ask a question, though, Dumbledore opened the door with a smile and asked if they could have Harry back.

Harry was a little worried when he realised Ollivander would be checking over their wands, especially since he didn't have his holly and phoenix feather wand on him – he hadn't used it since he'd gotten his old one back. In fact, his other wand was shoved in some drawer back at Sirius' house.

When Ollivander got to him, Harry handed his wand over and saw the man's eyebrows go up. "I don't recall selling you this wand, Mr Potter."

Harry shrugged. "You say the wand chooses the wizard, sir," he said. "Well, I found this one by chance and it chose me. It works much better than the one I bought from you."

Ollivander looked back down at the wand. "I'd say so. It's so fond of you it waited a thousand years for your birth." The others in the room looked at Harry and Ollivander oddly. "Blackthorn and basilisk eggshell. Eleven inches." He gave it a wave and a snake slithered out of the end.

Harry caught the snake and draped it calmly around his shoulders, then took his wand back. Ollivander was watching him curiously as the old man stepped back so a few pictures could be taken.

Once the pictures were over and the others started heading out, Ollivander stopped Harry and asked, "You know that wand's previous owner." It wasn't a question.

Harry smiled. "You know who I am."

Ollivander smiled eerily. "It is an honour, Salazar Slytherin," he agreed. "May I ask why you've hidden yourself?"

"The others and I agree it's not yet time to reveal ourselves," Harry murmured. Ollivander was the sort of man who liked to have his curiosity sated, but wouldn't reveal another's secrets unless told he could.

"And your Heir?" Ollivander asked.

Harry's eyes darkened. "There is no love lost between Voldemort and myself, I assure you. He believes the twisted truth that survived the centuries, alas, and will have to die for it."

Ollivander nodded. "You spoke of others?"

Harry nodded. "Godric, Rowena, Helga and my little sister."

Ollivander's eyebrows rose. "Your sister?"

Harry's lips twitched. "The past holds many secrets, Master Wandsmaker. Some are not yet for the ears of the present. Good day." Then he turned and left the old man with his questions.

-0-

Skeeter's article was nothing special, and the next week passed reasonably peacefully. At the end of it, however, Hagrid asked Harry if he'd join him on a night-time stroll to see the first task. The Beauxbatons' woman came with them – Hagrid appeared to have a bit of a crush on her, from what Harry could tell – but Harry was still able to see what they came for.

After saying a quick good-bye to Hagrid, he hurried back to the castle, where the other Founders waited for him in the Room of Requirement. "Dragons," he said as the door closed behind him.

"Are they _mad_?" Hermione squeaked.

"But what about all the students who are going to watch?!" Susan complained.

"Pity you don't have my immunity to fire," Ronald commented cheerfully.

"_Godric_," Hermione and Susan hissed.

Harry snorted at them all and threw himself into a chair. "Don't I wish I did. I don't suppose you could magically give me that immunity for the task?"

Ronald grinned. "Sorry, Sal."

"Bugger." Harry sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "Well, Plan B, then."

"What's Plan B?" Hermione demanded.

Harry grinned. "Don't go near the dragon."

The others groaned and tried to talk Harry into telling them what he intended to do, but the boy just smiled and ignored them.

-0-

The next day, Harry saw Cedric in the hallway and shouted, "Diggory!"

Cedric turned and looked around until he saw Harry, then grinned at him. "Hey, Potter."

Harry absently threw up a silencing charm and said, "The First Task, since I doubt you know the right people around here to find out, is dragons."

Cedric blinked. "I think I'm supposed to thank you, but seeing as how you just insulted all my friends..."

Harry laughed and dropped the charm. "Well, feel free to pick those friends' brains, yeah? I'll see you later."

"Yeah. And thanks, Potter!"

Chuckling, Harry wandered off to his next class.

-0-

The day of the task dawned bright and clear. Harry complained about it all through breakfast.

"You know, Potter," Draco commented while they all headed out for the task, "you could just kill yourself now and save this tournament the trouble."

"You're so funny, Draco," Harry replied drily.

When Harry joined the other champions in the tent, he plopped down on the bench next to Cedric and said, "Got your bases covered?"

Cedric blinked at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"

Harry sighed. "Sirius is _really_ rubbing off on me, with all this muggle nonsense. As I was saying! Do you know what you're going to do?"

Cedric snorted. "Yes. You?"

" 'Course. Wouldn't have told you if I didn't know."

Cedric rolled his eyes. "I can't understand why that godfather of yours was so convinced you were a Gryffindor."

"Blind hope. I'm told it's a Gryffindor trait," Harry replied cheerfully.

The judges all entered the tent at that moment and had the champions each pick a dragon from a bag. Harry got the worst of the lot, of course, the Hungarian Horntail. Cedric was up first and Harry wished him luck before complaining, "What did I do to deserve the worst dragon of the lot, eh?"

Krum snorted from his seat, while Delacour looked away snootily.

Harry sighed and took his own seat. He quietly practised Occlumency, since he knew he'd need all his focus for the upcoming madness.

When it was finally Harry's turn, he walked out among cheers. Harry calmly conjured about thirty snakes, then told them all, **"Go over to the Great Snake and get me the shiny bauble that tastes of strong. Go in from different sides."**

The dragon wasn't quite sure what to do, with thirty snakes coming at it from different angles, and the crowd wasn't sure how to react to Harry being a Parselmouth. Since, as far as the dragon was concerned, snakes weren't dangerous, and the human seemed to be leaving her nest alone, she laid down and took a nap in the afternoon sun.

As it was, Harry got his egg the slowest, but his dragon didn't hurt him or his snakes, and was probably the easiest for the dragons handler to handle afterwards. He got three nines, one ten, and a five. All told, Harry was quite pleased with himself as he got dragged off to hear about the next task.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Well, since everyone seems to think I should pair Harry with someone, I suppose I'll pick Ollivander. The two seem to get on well enough. (Oh, wait, right. HARRY ISN'T GAY! Duh. XD)  
I guess he'll have to stay single. What a pity.

I swear to Merlin, if I get ONE MORE REVIEW complaining about Harry being single, I'm discontinuing this story. Ye GADS, people. I respect that you don't like my choice, but it's MY STORY. Now SHUT UP.

So, it seems about one third of my readers read the authors notes – and those numbers were skewed a bit by people who don't usually review. That's really, really sad. If this is what humanity's turning into, I feel for our children.

So, I'd originally considered putting the entire Tournament into one chapter, but Shara complained about it taking so long, so I'll finish this next chapter. Who do you think Harry should go to the dance with? I bet you can't guess it! (Although, it'll probably be someone shocking. And, no, I haven't decided who yet. Shush.)

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _Question of Honour_


	8. Question of Honour

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Ron/??, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** So, I've been off and on considering writing a side-story that shows the Founders in their various Houses, since some people have asked about that. What are people's thoughts?  
Does anyone read these Disclaim Hers? I mean, we've already shown that no one reads the A/Ns at the bottom... (Except the people who never review, and you lot don't count. So :P )

**A/N:** I can't TELL you how much I enjoyed everyone's guesses for Harry's date. Admittedly, Sarah – who practically everyone and their mother seemed to guess – was my original fall-back, if I couldn't come up with someone more exciting.  
Alas, I came up with someone more exciting. And no one guessed it. -mad cackle-

-0-0-  
_Question of Honour  
_-0-0-

"Damn egg," Harry muttered, falling back on to his bed with it. All it did was screech at him, and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was supposed to be. And most of the school, to make things worse, were giving him a wide berth after he spoke Parseltongue at the task. "Damn teenagers," he added at the thought. For some reason, the little idiots thought the serpent's tongue was evil, and since he was already in Slytherin...

_'You can't win them all, Sal,'_ Hogwarts soothed, as she had been for the past week. She already knew what the Second Task was, but Harry had told her not to tell him, determined to figure it out on his own, since the first one had been handed to him.

Harry groaned. "Well, no. But I'd rather enjoy being able to eat in the Hall again without getting glared at. It's like _Snape_ was still here!"

"Some of us are still a little peeved at you for that, you know," Draco commented drily as he led the way into the dorm, his two trolls following. (Sometimes, Harry wondered how the two burly boys had made it into his House, but the Hat just laughed madly every time he asked, so he'd given up after the second year.)

Harry snorted at the boy. "Yes, and he favoured you like Dumbledore does the Gryffindors. If you don't think _that's_ fair, then what do you think the other Houses thought about Snape?"

Draco just sneered and turned to his trunk. "Whatever, Potter. So, figured out the golden paperweight yet?" He glanced up, holding his cloak. It was starting to get cold in the castle, especially the dungeons beyond the common room, and many students were opting to grab their cloaks and scarves when going out into the main part of the castle, rather than waste magic on heating charms. (Harry, who – like the other Founders and, to an extent, Sarah – had huge reserves from the extra magic which had followed them with their memories, usually just cast the charm.)

Harry sighed and glared down at the egg again, which was enough answer for Draco, and the boy shrugged.

"Oh well," the blond said uncaringly as he closed his trunk again, "keep trying."

"Yeah, sure thing."

Draco stopped just inside the doorway and said, "Oh, and Potter?"

"Yes, Draco?" Harry asked tiredly.

"You really shouldn't keep talking to yourself like that; people might think you're mad."

"Hmm, evil and mad," Harry commented aloud as Draco opened the dorm door, "you know, that sounds rather like Voldemort."

Draco shuddered and hurried away, his bodyguards following just as quickly.

-0-

When Slughorn told them about the Yule Ball, Harry almost cried. First, the school though he was evil, _now_ he had to find one of them to take to the dance?

"At least you know _how_ to dance," Susan commented when Harry complained to his friends one evening. "Imagine how the other boys are feeling."

"Hm, learning to dance from your Head of House," Ronald commented, then shuddered theatrically.

"Godric..." Hermione complained, knocking her head against the back of the couch.

Ronald just grinned at her.

"You could always go with Row or myself," Susan offered, ignoring the other two Founders.

Harry shook his head. "Uhm, no. Dancing with my sisters is _not_ my style. Oh, you're laughing _now_ Godric," he snapped at Ronald, who was snickering, "but wait until you realise that _you too_ must ask a girl out!"

"Or I could ask out a guy," Ronald agreed cheerfully.

"I suppose it is a bit more acceptable now than it was back home," Susan said thoughtfully.

"You could invite one of the girls from your own House," Hermione suggested, considering it a perfect solution. The Slytherins had actually reacted positively to Harry being a Parselmouth, possibly because of his relation to their Founder, as unaware of the truth of it as they were.

Harry grimaced. "No thanks. They're a bunch of pureblood loonies."

"Sounds like someone I once knew," Hermione replied with a touch of sarcasm.

Harry frowned at her. "I was _never_ that bad."

"No, you were _worse_," Hermione snapped back.

"So!" Ronald cut in, leaning forward to get in between the fighting pair. "What you're saying is that none of the Hogwarts girls are mature enough for you?"

Harry's lip curled with a sneer. "Godric, get out of my face."

Ronald just grinned. "You could ask one of the professors."

Harry blinked, thought about it, then gagged.

"_Salazar!_" Hermione cried, horrified.

Susan cleared her throat. "Row, even _you_ have to admit that none of the professors are particularly attractive," she said softly.

Hermione thought about it, trying to remember a time one of the boys in the school had said anything good about one of the female professors. "Er, Hooch?"

"I don't date hawks, they tend to try and eat me," Harry replied drily, referring to how the flying instructor looked like a bird of prey.

"Sal, you don't date _anyone_," Susan replied tiredly.

"You could take the castle," Ronald suggested jokingly.

Harry blinked. "Could I?" he wondered.

"Sal, he was joking," Hermione said, eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Hogwarts, could I take you to the ball?" Harry asked the room.

"Salazar..." Hermione said. Susan sighed and shook her head while Ronald covered his smile with one hand.

Hogwarts' stone form appeared in the middle of the room, blinking stone eyes slowly. "I don't know that I could retain this form outside of this room," she said. "It might be fun, however, if it worked."

Harry eyed the stone form thoughtfully. "You're always made of stone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Salazar, no," Hermione ordered.

Harry glanced at her. "What do you think, Row? Could we make a stone body for Hogwarts that she can assume outside the Room of Requirement?"

Hermione swallowed. It would be an amazing feat of magic if they could pull it off, but still, taking the school to the dance?"

"She really wants to go," Harry added, eyes bright.

Hermione closed her eyes helplessly. "Oh, fine! I'll try it!"

"Well, mate, looks like you've got yourself a date," Ronald said cheerfully to Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah? And what about the rest of you?"

"Row already got asked by one of the seventh years in Ravenclaw," Susan offered, ducking the irritated curse Hermione sent her way. "Yon Su, the Chinese girl in our year's older brother."

"_Helga_!"

"And what about you, Helga?" Ronald asked, eyes dancing.

"Oh, I have someone in mind, but I need to ask him," she replied easily. "And I'm not telling you who," she added, seeing Ronald open his mouth to ask that very question. "What about you, then?"

Ronald's eyes gleamed dangerously. "Oh, I have the perfect gentleman in mind."

"Oh, brother," Harry groaned. "Ric, just because it's seen in a more acceptable light doesn't mean you should flaunt it."

"I'm not 'flaunting' anything!" Ronald complained. "I'm just asking the man of my dreams to the Yule Ball!"

"Oh, I've got a really bad feeling about this," Hermione commented, eyeing Ronald like he was some sort of wild beast.

Ronald just grinned madly and refused to say anything more.

-0-

"Hey, Potter?"

Harry turned and blinked at Cedric in surprise. The boy had been forced to avoid Harry for weeks because of his friends. The other Hufflepuffs seemed very keen to keep "their" champion from the "evil" champion. "Yeah, Diggory?"

Cedric sighed and sat in the open seat at the library table next to Harry. "I'm sorry," he said.

Harry shrugged. Once his date for the dance had been figured out and everything finished the night before, he finally decided he didn't care what the rest of the school thought of him, because he _was_ Dark, and they already thought him evil, even if they didn't know it was him, per say, but still. (Hermione had finally managed to beat that concept into his head after four days, irritated with Harry bemoaning his lot in life while they were working on Hogwarts' body for the dance.)

Cedric shook his head. "At least your House took things well, I suppose," he said.

Harry smiled grimly. "Yes, well, they can relate; the school already thinks they're all evil."

Cedric winced. "Oh. Yeah."

Harry shrugged again. "Did you just come here to apologise for the school, then?"

Cedric shook his head. "No! Actually, I came to ask if you've figured out the egg yet?"

Harry blinked. "The egg? Oh. No. I stopped caring after I realised I'd need to find a date who didn't think I'd curse them as soon as their back was turned."

Cedric smiled sadly. "Ah, yes. Of course. Any luck?"

Harry smirked. "But of course."

Cedric chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Gryffindor," he muttered disbelievingly, making Harry grin, then said, "Take the egg with you to the bath. Uhm, use a big bathtub, like the Prefect's Bath. I can give you the password..."

Harry shook his head, awed. "Are you really the same Cedric Diggory who spent my entire first year yelling at me for every little thing?" he asked.

Cedric grimaced. "Well, things changed."

"I suppose they did," Harry agreed. "And thank you, but I don't need the password. I know of a room that can become anything you envision it to be, and that should work fine."

Cedric blinked. "Really? Where?"

Harry smirked. "Sorry, Diggory, can't tell you." He shrugged, as if it was beyond his control.

Cedric just rolled his eyes. "Slytherins," he muttered, then pulled out some books and things to take notes with. "Do you mind if I sit here and study?"

Harry shook his head. "Be my guest."

-0-

An hour later, Hermione joined Harry and Cedric with, surprisingly, Ronald. When Harry shot her a questioning look, she shrugged, clearly baffled. Just as they were settling down to study, Viktor Krum stopped next to their table and, looking at Hermione, said, "Vould you go vith me to the dance?"

Hermione blinked at him, then shook her head. "Already have a date, sorry," she replied, turning back to her book.

"You can go with me, though," Ronald suggested, smiling winningly.

Krum looked startled, while Harry sighed and muttered, "An entire year in Slytherin, wasted."

"Please?" Ronald added, smile turning slightly pleading.

Krum finally seemed to come out of his surprised stupor and seriously considered Ronald and his question. The boy weighed the option of taking Ronald, who was a fanboy, but one he could have a decent conversation with, against taking one of his hoards of fangirls, the rest of whom would probably descend upon the lucky girl and tear her apart. Ronald, on the other hand, could probably keep the girls at bay. And going with a guy might get the girls off him.

"Agreed," Krum finally said, surprising the other three at the table, while Ronald practically beamed.

When Krum left after he and Ronald had finalised everything, Harry commented, "I really hope this doesn't blow up in your face, Ron."

Ronald huffed. "Just because you've never been able to keep anyone doesn't mean we're all failures in that department."

"Go– Ronald!" Hermione hissed, smacking Ronald's arm.

But Harry was already gathering his things and turning to leave.

"Harry..." Cedric tried, confused, but needing to help his fellow champion.

Harry pushed past the Hufflepuff and stopped next to Ronald's chair, green eyes blazing. "Yes, but at least I had them. That's more than you can say."

"Harry!" Hermione cried as the black-haired boy stalked from the library.

Ronald just stared at the table, jaw clenched angrily.

"How _could_ you!" Hermione demanded of Ronald, turning on him furiously.

Ronald glared at her.

"He was trying to show you he _cared_, you idiot!"

"Yes, and I'm fine without his help," Ronald replied coolly. "He doesn't need to lump his past failures on me."

Hermione looked uncertain for a long moment, then smacked the boy across the face and, grabbing her things, hurried from the library.

Cedric left quickly after, completely confused, but unwilling to stay with the angry Gryffindor.

-0-

Harry spent the next day in his dorm, refusing to see his friends or even leave to get food. Eventually, Hogwarts donned her golem body – which had been made of stones from the Chamber around her core and magically glamoured to look and feel human – and came down to knock some sense into the gloomy Founder.

"Salazar Slytherin," she said after ensuring the rest of the Slytherins weren't able to hear their conversation, not even the boys dressing in the room, who had all ducked behind bed curtains when she'd entered. "You will come out of there _right this minute_ and take me to the ball."

"Oh, piss off."

Hogwarts scowled and, reaching into Harry's curtained-off bed, grabbed his leg and bodily dragged him out.

"Ow!" Harry shouted as his head slammed into the stone floor. He sat up, rubbing it and glaring at the golem. "You know, Hogwarts, I'm not made of stone. I _do_ break if you drop me."

"You haven't eaten in almost forty-eight hours, and you're complaining about me knocking your head on the stone floor?" the castle demanded. "You _idiot_!"

"I don't _care_ about the dance," Harry informed her.

"Well I _do_," Hogwarts replied tartly. "And _you_ promised to take me to it! If you don't, I won't let _anyone_ go!"

Harry eyed her. "So if I don't take you to the dance, you'll throw a temper tantrum?"

Hogwarts crossed her arms over her chest, looking displeased with the correlation. "Yes," she decided. "And then Godric's night really _will_ be ruined!"

Harry winced. As mad as he was at his best friend, he wouldn't wish a ruined date on the other. Especially if Harry was the cause behind it, indirect or no.

Hogwarts nodded, seeing that he'd given in, and dragged him to his feet. "Get dressed," she ordered, mentally calling for the boy's house-elf. When Winky appeared next to her, she said, "Bring Harry an apple to eat. I know there's supposed to be a feast before the ball, but I want something in him now."

"Winky understands," the little elf agreed, then popped away.

"I'm not a child, Hogwarts," Harry commented as he pulled out his heavy green robes. He'd had them specially made in an older style, with Celtic knots in silver lining the neck and arms. Ronald, Hermione and Susan had all done the same with their own House colours, in preparation for their public appearance in the future, but all agreed that they would work equally well for the Yule Ball.

"You're acting like one," the castle snapped back.

"_Godric_ is acting like one," Harry corrected.

"Yes, but you aren't helping," Hogwarts agreed as Winky reappeared with Harry's apple.

The boy took the apple with a quick, "Thank you, Winky," and took a bite before pulling off the robes he'd worn since his fight with Ronald, uncaring of his modesty. (After all, he thought, Hogwarts had seen it all before.)

Hogwarts huffed as she was ignored in favour of her date dressing, and she glared at the other boys as they poked their heads out curiously. She dropped the silencing barrier and snapped, "Oh, go dress in the bathroom, then! Teenagers!"

Harry's lips twitched with a smile and he bit into the apple to hide it. He conjured a mirror and glanced at his tired reflection critically. "I look like shit," he decided.

"You do," Hogwarts agreed. "But you did it to yourself, so you can't complain."

Harry rolled his eyes at the castle and cast a few quick charms on himself to get rid of the circles under his eyes and the faint tear-tracks still staining his cheeks. A quick brush through his hair – which he'd started keeping long after he'd realised as a small child that messy hair irritated his muggle aunt more than long hair – was enough to get it clear of tangles, and a wooden clasp with his personal crest held it back and out of the way. Another critical look in the mirror showed him to be a sharp-looking pureblood heir, which was the look he'd been going for, so he vanished the mirror and turned to look at his and Hermione's accomplishment.

Hogwarts wore a simple silver gown which accentuated the gentle curve of her body, which Hermione had insisted she must have. Her hair, a pale grey, had been piled elegantly on top of her head and pinned there with jewelled clips, which Hermione assured them both would look stunning in the lights of the Great Hall during the ball. She wore, around her throat, a pendent of the school's symbol, with the four animals rearing for battle behind the letter 'H'. She was, as demanded by the castle herself, the same height as Harry, so the boy wouldn't look ridiculous for dancing with a girl taller than him.

Harry cleared his throat. "You look lovely, Hogwarts."

The castle smiled happily. "Thank you, Salazar."

Harry shook his head. "_Harry_," he reminded her. They were going to be in public, and if she called him his old name, it could ruin them all.

Hogwarts' cheeks flushed. "Sorry. When you look like that..."

Harry nodded in understanding. Salazar Slytherin had always striven to wear the finest things, and the older robes were very much his style. While wearing school robes, Harry was just that, Harry Potter, but in these old robes, he could have been his old self again, willing to lay down his life to protect stone walls and students who looked at him with fear.

"Let's go," he decided, inviting her to curl her arm in his.

Hogwarts smiled and took his arm, letting him lead her from the dorm and out into the common room, where his fellow Housemates stopped their own preparations to stare at them in surprise.

An older Slytherin called, "Potter! Who's she?"

Harry smiled coolly. "My date, you idiot," he called back, then led the castle from the room.

Cedric with Cho Chang and the Delacour girl with one of the sixth year Ravenclaws were waiting for them at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Well, hello, there," Cedric said to Hogwarts, smiling. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

Hogwarts smiled at him, then looked to Harry reproachfully. "_This_ is how you were supposed to greet me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm _sorry_." He turned to Cedric, scowling at his smile. "Diggory, this is Hogwarts."

Chang coughed politely. "I wasn't aware this was a costume party."

"You mean you didn't get the owl?" Harry replied sarcastically. "She's Hogwarts, I'm Salazar Slytherin. Nice to meet you."

"Potter..." Cedric sighed as Chang shrunk back from Harry. The girl was part of the population that believed him to be evil incarnated.

Harry shrugged, unapologetic.

Cedric shook his head. "Fine, be that way."

"He always is," Ronald said, coming up behind Harry, sans Krum.

Harry turned to glare at his best friend, but it only lasted a moment before Hogwarts snapped, "If you two ruin my evening, I'll make the rest of this school year absolutely unbearable for you!"

Harry and Ronald traded grimaces, then turned to the castle and chorused, "Sorry, Hogwarts."

Hogwarts sniffed and turned her nose up at them.

"Alright, if she's Hogwarts, and Potter's playing Slytherin, who are you?" Cedric asked with a touch of a smile.

"Godric Gryffindor," Ronald replied promptly, smiling winningly. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

"Uncanny," Harry deadpanned.

Ronald eyed him. "Are you going to be difficult all night?"

"I am really, really pissed off at you right now," Harry replied honestly. "I've half a mind to curse you so hard your grandparents feel it."

Ronald grimaced. "I'll admit I was out of line–" he started.

Harry shook his head. "Ron, you were so far beyond the line, it started crying in loneliness."

Ronald sighed. "I'm sorry."

"And I'm still mad at you."

Ronald rubbed at his cheek, where Hermione had smacked him. "You're not the only one," he commented. "The girls haven't talked to me since."

"You deserve it," Harry replied, unmoved.

Ronald nodded in acknowledgement and held out his hand. "Friends?"

Harry eyed the offered hand for a long moment like one might a dragon, then took it and shook. "Friends. But I swear to Merlin, if you pull a stunt like that again..." Harry let the threat hang unsaid, knowing Ronald would be able to fill it in without his help. Salazar Slytherin had not been kind to those who wronged him, and Harry Potter was shaping up to be very much the same. (Though the boy had a touch more forgiveness than he'd had before.)

"Boys," Hogwarts huffed, taking Harry's arm firmly. "Are you through being idiots?"

"With him around?" Harry asked, jerking his thumb at Ronald, who smiled wanly.

Hermione showed up then with her date. "Harry! Hogwarts!" she called, completely ignoring Ronald.

"Oh, so she's in on the joke, too?" Cedric muttered, making Harry grin.

"No, no, my dear Rowena," he said smoothly, smirking at the faintly worried look that appeared on her face, "remember, we are pretending to be the Founders tonight, since Hogwarts is determined to play her part."

Hermione's eyes widened in understanding, then she smiled, easily putting on a lady-like air, much to the surrounding people's surprise. "Of course, Salazar, forgive me," she said, executing a perfect curtsy. "Hogwarts, you look lovely tonight."

Hogwarts smiled. "As do you, Lady Ravenclaw."

"You lot are mad," Cedric decided.

Hermione's date seemed to think the same thing, but wisely kept his mouth shut, since he was well aware that the wrong move could get him cursed into next week by the capable witch on his arm.

"We'll see you inside," Harry said. "If you see Helga, remind her."

Hermione nodded and led her date through the open doors.

Krum chose that moment to finally appear. He walked right up to Ronald and held out a single white rose. "For you, Ron," he said.

"He's good," Hogwarts commented as Ronald blushed and took the offered rose, stumbling over his own words.

Harry rolled his eyes and kicked Ronald's shin. "Godric."

That pulled Ronald from his embarrassment – which had only been made worse by his own awe of Krum – and he forced himself back into his assumed character for the evening. Curiously, playing himself seemed to make him that much more confident, though in truth, Godric Gryffindor had been just as fumbling with love as Ronald had just appeared to be.

Krum looked confused at Harry's use of the wrong name for his date and asked, "Godric?"

Ronald smiled. "Salazar – that would be Harry – and his date decided to play a Founder and the school, since they could. I got roped into playing Godric Gryffindor for the evening. I hope you'll bear with us?"

Krum considered the blushing boy from mere moments ago and compared him against Ronald as he acted playing his assumed roll and shrugged. "Godric it is," he said agreeably.

Ronald looked absolutely lovesick, but was saved from Harry kicking him again by McGonagall coming to insure they were all ready to enter the Hall. Her lips thinned when she saw Ronald and Krum, and she frowned a bit when she saw the unknown girl on Harry's arm, but she still directed them to enter as if nothing was amiss, and Harry silently congratulated her on that.

There was quite a bit of surprised chatter as people realised that Krum had come with a boy, and that Harry had brought in a girl no one recognised. However, the four champions and their partners all made it up to the Head table where they were to eat without incident. Harry, Cedric and the Ravenclaw with Fleur all had no problems with helping their dates sit, but Krum and Ronald had a moment where neither was sure who was supposed to help who into their seats, so they just both shrugged and sat themselves. Harry coughed in amusement at the whole affair, earning him a helpless look from Ronald.

Dinner was generally wonderful. Harry happily struck up conversation with Hogwarts about little things – and was constantly reminded to eat – and traded stories about Bulgaria with Ronald and Krum. Delacour complained about how pathetic Hogwarts was for the holidays and about Peeves, so Harry sneakily shot a freezing charm at her, feeling quite pleased with himself when she spent the rest of the meal shivering. (Hogwarts, who had been the only one to see him do it, was quite approving, since it was the castle herself the stupid part-Veela was putting down.)

When the time came for them to all dance, there was an awkward moment where Ronald and Krum fumbled to decide who would lead. Krum ended up taking over, as he was older, and he only stepped on Ronald's feet once. The next dance, Ronald led, and everything went much smoother.

After the fourth dance, Harry demanded a break and led Hogwarts over to the table Hermione had been left at, looking furious. As soon as Harry got close enough, she snapped, "That stupid little boy left me!"

Harry blinked, then sighed and sat down next to his friend, nodding appreciatively when Hogwarts settled on the girl's other side. "What happened, Row. And from the beginning, please."

Hermione sniffed and wiped at her nose with a napkin from the table. "Well, we sat down next to Helga – who's here with that adorable little boy from Gryffindor she always fawns over – and I told her all about your plan. Well, she thought it was wonderful, and Neville was happy to play along. But Yon was just a little unsure of the whole thing. And, well, when Godric walked in with Krum, he sort of got really quiet and disapproving. He left when the dancing started, saying he didn't want to date a girl with a queen for a friend."

Harry left Hogwarts to hug the distraught girl, eyes sweeping the Hall. He finally saw the boy over by a group of girls who had come without dates in the hopes of at least getting one dance. Harry glanced back at the girls and saw Hogwarts cuddling Hermione, who was crying quietly into the castle's silver gown. Hogwarts' grey eyes were hard, and when she met Harry's gaze, she nodded.

Harry gently touched Hermione's shoulder. "I'll go get us some butterbeer," he murmured, then stood to go find Ronald. He was hardly afraid of a sixth year, but Ronald had been insulted as much as Hermione had been, and deserved a crack at the Ravenclaw.

Harry found Ronald and Krum over by the drink table, laughing together about something one of them said. Ronald turned to Harry with a smile, but it faded when he recognised the murderous glint in his friend's eyes. "What happened?"

"Row's date walked out on her, saying it didn't want to date a girl who was friends with a queen," Harry said coolly.

Ronald's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Is Row okay?"

Harry nodded. "Hogwarts is with her. I'm going after the sod, if you're interested?"

Krum cleared his throat. "Translation?" he requested.

Ronald turned and forced a smile for his date. "Hermione's date dumped her because of me. If you'll give me a few moments, I'd like to go with Harry and clear things up, if that's okay?"

Krum nodded. "Sure," he agreed easily. From what he was able to piece together of their conversation after the blanks were filled in, Hermione's date had left her because Ronald had gone with him, and Ronald felt responsible. If the boy wanted to blow off some steam at this date, Krum was hardly about to stop him.

"The table's over there," Harry offered Krum, pointing back the way he came. They're against one of the walls, so they shouldn't be too hard to find, if you'd like to avoid your fans there?"

Krum nodded his thanks and walked in the direction Harry had pointed, leaving Harry and Ronald staring at each other.

"Where is he?" Ronald asked.

Harry smiled nastily. "I'll get him into the garden."

Ronald nodded in understanding and made for the open doors out into the night air.

Harry turned towards where he'd last seen Yon Li. The boy had picked one of the girls and was dancing with her on the floor, but the song was nearly over, so Harry patiently waited until it was before stepping in and grabbing Yon's arm. "I need to speak with you," he whispered to the older boy, smiling at the surprised girl. "You'll come with me without complaint, or I'll curse you. Understood?"

Yon glanced down at the smaller boy, intent on telling him to bugger off. The words died on his lips when he saw those murderous green eyes. He swallowed and nodded.

"I just need to borrow him for a moment," Harry told the girl, then led Yon off, into the gardens.

Ronald was waiting for them just off the path, in the shadows. His smile, when they got close enough to see it, was cold. "Hello, Yon Li," he said easily. "I hear you dumped 'Mione because you didn't like who I chose to dance with. Is this right?"

Yon nervously looked between the two boys. Normal fourth years weren't a concern, but these two, like their two female friends, were in a league of their own, and even the upper years knew to say clear of their fury by now, especially after the weird accidents that happened to anyone who made any attack against the teens or Harry's adopted sister. Having lived in the same House as both of the boys, he considered Harry to be the greater danger, but he'd also never seen Ronald without his constant good humour. "I–"

"There's no need to deny it," Harry said, smiling a horrible smile, which sent chills along Yon's spine. "I've already heard everything from 'Mione. She's quite distraught."

"This won't hurt," Ronald offered, pulling out his wand.

"Much," Harry agreed, turning his wand on the boy.

Yon was only able to squeak before the two curses hit him.

Back in the Great Hall, Susan and Neville had joined the table again, and Hermione had calmed down enough to inquire after Harry and Ronald, noticing Krum sitting with them.

Hogwarts hesitated a moment, then said, "They've gone to talk with Yon."

Hermione swallowed. "At least he took Ric with him," she decided after a moment. She rather agreed with Yon getting a talking to, but if Harry had gone by himself, he was likely to have gone too far.

Neville and Krum went to get drinks for the three girls while Susan and Hogwarts worked together to dry Hermione's face and cheer her up. The butterbeer went a long way towards doing that. Eventually, Krum asked Hermione if she'd like to dance, and the girl agreed, feeling much better.

While the two were on the dance floor, Harry and Ronald came back, both looking calm and unruffled.

"Did you teach him not to hurt Row again?" Susan demanded, eyes bright with anger for her friend. She was almost as mad with herself as she was with Yon, as she'd left with Neville before the Chinese boy had left Hermione, which meant their friend had sat at the table by herself for three songs, with no one to comfort her.

"Honestly," Harry commented easily, sinking into the seat next to Hogwarts, "I don't think he'll be coming within three feet of her again. Hey, Neville. I see she finally caught you."

Neville turned a bright red. "Shut up, Harry."

"Salazar," Susan corrected with a fond smile.

"Or Sal," Harry agreed cheerfully. "It's what my friends call me." He winked at the startled Longbottom, earning him a tentative smile.

"Sure thing, Har– Sal."

"Where'd Viktor go?" Ronald asked, looking curiously at the dancing couples. "And Row?"

"Viktor asked her to dance," Susan offered carefully.

Ronald blinked, then sighed. "Oh, well," he decided. "At least I _got_ to dance with him."

"I'm sorry, Ric," Harry said honestly.

Ronald shrugged and smiled. "I asked, knowing he was straight and that he'd rather go with Row."

Susan shook her head at the two of them, then turned to Neville. "Dance with me some more?"

Neville smiled and happily took her hand to return to the floor.

"Your brothers are coming," Hogwarts warned Ronald just before the twins came into view.

Ronald groaned. "Bugger."

Fred and George stopped in front of their younger brother, smiling cheerfully. "Hello there,"

"Little Ronnikins."

"Interesting date you picked."

"Didn't know you swung that way."

"Wonder what Mum'll say."

"Don't you dare!" Ronald snapped, standing to glare at the twins.

Fred shrugged. "I don't think she'll care," he said.

"Not as much as she did when you got Sorted to Slytherin," George added.

"As long as you never try dating–"

"–oh, I don't know..."

"Draco Malfoy," they chorused.

"We really doubt–"

"–that she'd care."

Ronald eyed them suspiciously. "You're not pulling my leg?"

"Nah."

"Too easy."

"Not as much fun."

"And the way you're acting–" Fred started.

"And the way he's looking–" George added, pointing over his shoulder at where Krum stood with a dark look on his face, Hermione at his elbow.

"It wouldn't be worth it!" they chorused, then hurried away, waving over their shoulders as they went.

"Those two..." Harry said, shaking his head in amusement.

Ronald smiled at Hermione and Krum. "Feeling better, Row?"

Hermione smiled back at him. "Yeah." She glanced sideways at Harry, who shrugged at her, then turned back to Ronald and said, "I'm sorry I hit you."

Ronald shrugged. "I deserved it."

"And I've already told him off," Harry added cheerfully, then turned to his date. "I do believe, my dear, that I promised you a ball, and here we are, sitting!"

"About time you decided to be chivalrous again," Hogwarts replied, getting to her feet.

Harry bowed formally to the other three, saying, "We take our leave, gentlemen, fair lady."

"Oh, off with you, you great flirt!" Hermione laughed, waving them away.

"A pity she's not real," Ronald commented, referring to Hogwarts.

Hermione shrugged. "I can't see those two lasting longer than a few weeks before one of them starts a fight," she commented. "They get on well enough, but you know how they are if he needs sense knocked into him."

Ronald grinned. "Yeah," he agreed. "They'd never last."

Krum cleared his throat and held his hand out to Ronald. "May I have this dance, Godric?" he requested.

Ronald blinked in surprise, then looked at Hermione, who smiled at him encouragingly. "I'd love to," he told Krum, and let the other boy lead him out onto the dance floor.

Hermione sighed happily and took her seat. "Ah, young love," she said to herself. "I hope, for Godric's sake, that this lasts."

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** This was _supposed_ to cover the Second Task as well, originally, and maybe touch on the Third. Whoops. -sweatdrop-

So, after some contemplation – and rereading a couple of chapters – I realised that it would be pretty hard to get Ron and Draco together. And even though Draco is my favourite guy to pair Ron with, it seems it's not to be. And then Ron asked Krum to the dance without really asking me, first, so...  
For those of you who hated the idea of Ron and Draco, this should please you. Those who were looking forward to it, I'm sorry. I guess it's going to be Ron/Krum. (Never considered that pairing before, though I'm sure it exists...)

Imagine my surprise when, after threatening to discontinue the story, everyone is suddenly all for Harry being by himself. -snickers- Not that I don't think some of you were honestly of that strand, I just thought it was funny.  
No, I won't discontinue this story. But I might get grumpy enough in extreme circumstances to put it on hold for a month. Scout's Honour. (I'm a Girl Scout, I can say that. XP)

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _Hanging By A Thread_


	9. Hanging by a Thread

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Ron/Krum, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** The end of this chapter caused a lot of grief for your dear author.

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is a little later than usual. I've been playing Animal Crossing and we've been time travelling a bit in the game. So as far as my brain is concerned, it's somewhere in late January. -sweat- And since my classes are over for the moment, I don't have anything else to keep me on track.

-0-0-  
_Hanging By A Thread  
_-0-0-

Harry took the egg into the Room of Requirement the morning of Boxing Day to see what he could find out about Cedric's suggestion. He listened to the damn thing screech at him for about ten minutes before he got so fed up he tossed the egg into the water, trusting Hogwarts to keep it from possibly breaking. "I don't get it!" he shouted at the room.

Hogwarts let out a mental sigh and said, _'Go get the egg, Sal.'_

Grumbling, Harry swam over to where he could see the golden glimmer and ducked his head under the water to grab it.

_"...searching, ponder this: We've taken–"_

Harry jerked his up above the water, gasping, his mind speeding with questions and answers.

"Merpeople!" he finally shouted. "You're only able to understand them under water. And there's a colony in the lake, right?"

_'Took you long enough,'_ Hogwarts replied.

Harry grinned at the ceiling, then took a deep breath and went to retrieve the egg.

_"...An hour long you'll have to look–"_

Harry broke the surface of the water again, eyeing the egg suspiciously. "An hour for what?" he grumbled.

He could practically _feel_ Hogwarts rolling her eyes. _'And you're supposed to be nearly as clever as Row. Why don't you __**listen**__ to the rhyme it's singing before just letting it be?'_

Harry considered the egg, then sighed and, taking another deep breath, dipped below the surface of the water to hear the whole song.

He came back up again after listening to the song twice, closing the egg thoughtfully. "They're taking something I'll miss. Hmmm... Something material that I'll miss..."

_'...Any ideas?'_ Hogwarts asked.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "My wand? You? Row, Ric or Helga? Sarah, or maybe Sirius? I don't know. Not sure. I suppose I'll have to wait."

_'What now, then?'_

"Now? Now I spend time researching all the ways to breath under water for an hour. They've _got_ to have come up with something better than gillyweed in the past thousand years..."

-0-

As it turned out, they hadn't come up with anything better than gillyweed. Or, they hadn't come up with something that a fourth year could conceivably manage to cast, even one as advanced as Harry and his friends seemed to be. So, in the end, Harry bribed some gillyweed from Slughorn and found spells that he could use to speed himself up underwater. The best spell he found was something that, by no means, should a supposedly Light teen like Harry Potter be considering casting, but since Harry wasn't Light, and no one would be able to see them when they were under water, he decided that was the one he'd probably use.

The day of the task came upon the champions rather suddenly. When Harry walked into the Great Hall, he looked over the other tables, expecting to see four smiling faces from his friends and sister. Instead, he received worried frowns from Hermione and Susan.

Krum walked swiftly up to him, eyes slightly panicked. "Have you seen Ron?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "Different dorms. My sister's miss..." Harry's comment died on his lips as he understood the meaning of the sung message. "What we'll miss. You'll miss Ron, and I'd... Shit! _Sarah better not be in that lake_," he finished, practically seething with fury. If they put his sister in that lake, so help them.

Krum seemed to relax when he realised what had happened to his boyfriend. After the ball, the two boys had only become closer, and when Rita Skeeter had shot out an article about Krum's apparent love life with another man, he'd calmly admitted it was true, which had made Ronald as happy as a new father. They'd been practically inseparable since.

_'I can guarantee Sarah is safe,'_ Hogwarts soothed.

Harry eyes narrowed at the Head table while he followed Krum back to the Slytherin table. He hadn't missed Hogwarts' lack of assurance that Sarah wasn't in the lake. Safe she may be, but Harry was damned if he'd let his little sister suffer in the cold, dark bottoms of the lake.

-0-

As soon as the whistle blew, Harry was off, choking down gillyweed and taking a deep breath so he wouldn't suffocate before the plant took effect. In fact, by the time the gillyweed took effect, Harry was already zooming towards the sounds of the merpeople, eyes narrowed behind the muggle diving goggles Hogwarts had pulled from the Room of Lost Things.

It took Harry ten minutes to zoom into the merpeople's camp, and as soon as he saw the poles the captives were tied to, he felt his stomach sink and zipped over.

Sarah hung, pale and terrifyingly still, hair floating about her head in a black cloud. Harry felt sick looking at her, remembering her death all those many centuries ago. Tears clouded his vision as he stared at her blank face. "Sarah..." he tried to whisper.

The mouthful of lake water had him coughing and brought him back to his senses. She wasn't dead, and Hogwarts had promised she was safe. Harry doubted Dumbledore – for all his faults and stringent morals – would allow children to die because they took too long collecting their captives, but he wasn't willing to chance the man's sense of honour, not when Sarah's life was on the line.

Harry quickly cut the rope and grabbed her around the waist. As he turned to leave, he saw Cedric swimming towards him with a bubblehead charm. They nodded briefly, then Harry was off, speeding with his sister to the open sky, where, hopefully, the girl would be okay.

At the surface, Hermione was waiting with the counter-plant to gillyweed and Harry took it as Sarah started to stir. As soon as those bright aqua eyes opened, they focused on her brother and she asked, "Sal?"

Harry smiled a watery smile and leaned down to pull her into a hug. "You're okay," he whispered, "You're okay..."

Sarah couldn't quite understand why Harry was so upset, but she patted his back comfortingly and said, "Of course I am."

Above them, Hermione shook her head and shot a few confundus charms at people who might have been close enough to hear Harry's true name. (Though, it wasn't really a big thing, since the twins had been cheerfully calling the Founders by their real names since the Yule Ball, not knowing that they hadn't just been playing parts. They'd also taken to talking to Hogwarts as if she was alive, which the castle thought was hysterical. She'd almost spoken back twice.)

Cedric emerged next, a fair time behind Harry, with Cho Chang. Krum was practically on his heels with Ronald. The two boys staggered out of the water together, arms around each other's waists and looking somehow both exhausted and elated.

The merpeople followed Krum with Delacour's little sister, who the older girl cried over much more dramatically than Harry's brief moment of weakness. (By the time Cedric had shown, Harry was cheerfully regaling his sister and two female friends with tales of the deep, skilfully skipping over his own moment of panic at seeing Sarah's seemingly-dead body.)

When the judges gave the scores, Harry found himself in the lead, with Cedric a distance behind him, and Krum following the Hufflepuff. Delacour brought up the rear, though she seemed much too pleased with her sister's safe return to care about her score.

"Crazy speed you had," Cedric commented to Harry as the older Hogwarts' champion stopped next to where Sarah and Ronald were being fawned over by Harry, Hermione, Susan and Krum. "Magic?"

Harry nodded. "Gillyweed is useful for excursions like that, but not for speed, so I looked up a couple of spells that would increase it. Worked out pretty well."

Cedric nodded. "I'll say. If Karkaroff wasn't so biased – no offence, Viktor – I think you would have gotten straight tens."

Krum shrugged off the mention of his Headmaster's bias. "I bothers me sometimes too," he admitted. "Harry deserved straight tens."

Harry shook his head. "What's happened, has happened."

And everyone else left it at that.

-0-

_'__**Brief Joke Gone Too Far?  
**__'__**By Rita Skeeter**__  
'Harry Potter came to the Yule Ball with an unknown woman,  
who he called Hogwarts, as was reported months ago. To keep  
up the pretence, of the girl's assumed name, Harry himself took  
on the name of Hogwarts Founder, Salazar Slytherin, goading  
his friends into playing along as the other three Founders.  
'The three pulled a good performance, and Weasley twins Gred  
and Forge have been keeping it alive by calling the four by their  
assumed names in hallways between classes.  
'Just as Hogwarts returns to normal and the joke starts to  
become just that, the second task occurs, where Sarah Black,  
adopted daughter of the framed Sirius Black, Harry's  
godfather, was heard calling Harry 'Sal', a nickname  
used at the Yule Ball in reference to him being Salazar  
Slytherin, after just waking up. Harry, at the time, answered  
to the name without pause and started crying into young  
Sarah's hair without any reason.  
'This reporter must wonder if this joke hasn't gone just a  
little too far, to have a young second year calling a family  
member by an assumed name just after waking and bringing  
our saviour to tears.'_

Harry tapped his fingers on the edge of the table, eyeing the article with some contempt. Hermione had assured him that anyone that had heard Sarah speak his name had been confounded, and that no one had noticed his breakdown as a result. That meant this reporter had some way of learning things that the Founders were careful about, and Harry didn't like it in the least. He'd never appreciated announcing his public life, and becoming a celebrity had hardly changed that.

"So, what are you going to do, _Salazar_?" Draco mocked. He didn't, for one minute, believe that Harry might be their Founder. None of the school did, really, and nor would the public, but the article would still cause trouble. "Are you going to go cry to your little sister?" Like that.

Harry sighed and absently hexed the boy's mouth shut, considering what to do. He could follow through on his earlier threat to the Skeeter woman and have her fired – it wouldn't be hard, not with the money in the Potter vaults – or he could simply let it go. Other than the occasional jab about him crying on Sarah and the rejuvenation of his "assumed" name, there wouldn't be many problems. And if he left Skeeter free, he might be able to catch her out in her spying, and figure out how she'd avoided Hermione's spells; Hermione wasn't about to take their secrets carelessly.

When Draco finally got his mouth open, he said, "Waa! Waa!"

Harry hexed his mouth shut again.

"You know, Draco," Millicent commented drily, "one might start to wonder where those famed self-preservation instincts all Slytherins are said to have might be."

Harry rolled his eyes. He liked Millicent – it helped that the girl was cunning and knew when to shut up, but she also genuinely liked Harry, unlike most of the rest of the House, who weren't sure about him most of the time – but she had her moments.

Harry stood before Draco could unstick his mouth again and left the Hall, thoughtfully tapping the paper against his cheek. Merlin knew he'd never gotten used to being called "Harry" – his muggle relatives hadn't helped, choosing to call him "boy" and "freak" instead – so if people started referring to him as Salazar, he would feel more comfortable. On the other hand, all of the Founders agreed that they shouldn't tip their hand until Voldemort was truly dealt with, once and for all.

"Harry!" Sarah called, running down the hallway behind him. He stopped and waited for her to catch up, cocking a curious eyebrow. She took a moment to catch her breath, then asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Harry shrugged and made his decision. "Nothing."

"_Nothing_?!" Sarah squeaked.

Harry shrugged again. "What's there to do, Sarah? I can have her fired from the _Daily Prophet_ staff, but then she'll just go to another newspaper and write trash about people. I want to know how she's doing it, anyway. 'Mione said she got everyone."

"But..." Sarah shook her head. "Harry, you'll be teased!"

Harry rolled his eyes. Like he wasn't already teased occasionally for the attention he paid to Sarah. "I'll just curse their mouths shut; it works on Draco. It's no big deal."

Sarah chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then asked, "What about people knowing who you are?"

Harry smiled in amusement. "Sarah, my dear, these sheep will _never_ catch on to that."

-0-

Harry, of course, was right. A few more kids in the school enjoyed the chance to call him Sal or Salazar, just for shits and giggles, and his friends even slipped up once or twice, usually on accident, though Ronald was known to do it on purpose, just to see who would jump or look around suspiciously. By early April, the fad had mostly worn off and it was back to only the twins enjoying the joke, with maybe five students still calling him 'Sal' because they were used to it. (Among those were Neville and Millicent, as well as Krum, surprisingly.)

As the third task approached, teachers spoke warningly of finals, which Harry cheerfully ignored. Ronald and Viktor also became attached at the hip, as both were well aware that summer holidays meant Viktor would return to Bulgaria, while Ronald was stuck in England. Harry had casually mentioned that if Ronald wanted to visit Viktor over the holiday, he could probably manage the portkey costs and any hotel rooms they rented. He'd been practically squeezed to death, Ronald was so excited by the prospect.

Harry spent a lot of time looking up and practising various defensive and offensive spells for the final task. The Light spells he found he would practise with Remus, since the werewolf wanted to spend more time with his 'cub'. The Dark spells Harry only practised in the Chamber, where the wards were lighter and he was actually able to cast the spells without feeling like he was going to be sick to his stomach. (Hogwarts had assured him that the wards would be gentle enough on him during the task that, if he absolutely needed to, he could cast the Dark spells. She preferred that he wouldn't, of course, but she understood they were a part of his nature, just as Light was a part of the others.)

The morning of the third task, Harry walked sleepily into the Great Hall, only to be happily directed by Slughorn to where the various families of the champions were. Sirius stood there, with Mrs Weasley. Harry gave both hugs, then asked, "What are you doing here, Mrs Weasley? Not that I'm not pleased to see you and all..."

Mrs Weasley smiled in understanding. "Honestly," she whispered, "I wanted to meet the boy Ron's fallen for. Seeing you in the task was just a bonus." She winked.

Harry shook his head in amusement and looked over at where Viktor was standing stiffly with his parents. Harry _really_ hoped the older Krums weren't planning to cause any trouble for Viktor; he'd genuinely learned to like the quidditch player in the months since the Yule Ball. "Hm," he said to Mrs Weasley, "It seems that he and his parents are having a bit of a stare-off, but I'm sure they won't mind if we interrupt."

"Excellent!" Sirius crowed, making for the three Krums.

Harry snatched out a hand and grabbed Sirius' arm in a tight grip. When the man looked back at him in confusion, Harry said, "Viktor calls me Sal, so don't freak, yeah?"

"Who? Me?" Sirius replied, attempting a hurt look.

Harry rolled his eyes at his guardian and quickly skipped ahead, pasting on a pleasant smile. "Hey, Viktor!"

Viktor looked up and managed a slightly forced smile. "Sal. These are your..." He frowned, recalling that Harry lived with his godfather and little sister.

"This is Sirius Black, my godfather, and Molly Weasley, Ron's mum."

Krum turned an adorable shade of red and greeted Mrs Weasley politely. He got a hug in return.

Harry eyed the older two Krums, both of whom looked rather disapproving at the whole mess. When they glanced at him, he narrowed his eyes, then offered them a smile which had sent stronger witches and wizards running when he was Salazar.

The Krums got the message and swallowed. Sirius, of course, leaned over and whispered, "Glaring at the in-laws does not endear you to them."

"I don't want to be endearing," Harry replied drily, "I want them to not cause trouble for Ron and Viktor."

Sirius sighed. "Where did I go wrong?" he inquired of the ceiling.

"You got thrown in Azkaban after being framed by your friend and I got left with a bunch of muggles who'd rather see me dead," Harry replied drily, rolling his eyes.

Sirius shook his head.

Mrs Weasley cleared her throat and asked, "Will you show us around the school, Harry? I know both Sirius and myself have been here before, but it's been so long..."

Harry nodded. "Sure." His lips curled with a smirk. "I think I might even be able to show you some secret passages and such that you've never seen."

Sirius' eyes brightened at the challenge. "Bring it on, Potter."

Mrs Weasley looked upwards helplessly. "Boys."

-0-

Harry had, in fact, been able to show Sirius a number of passages the man hadn't known of, but Sirius still managed to impress Harry with the number of passages he _did_ know of. Sirius, of course, had been awed by the number of passages Harry had found after only four years. (Harry, of course, having helped _build_ the castle, had an unfair advantage, but he wasn't going to tell Sirius that.)

Dinner was nothing to remark upon, and Harry decided to treat the meal as if he _wasn't_ about to walk into a maze. (Which he was, of course.)

After dinner, the entire population of the castle made its way down to the quidditch pitch. There, the champions were told how they would be sent in and Harry got into the position.

As soon as Harry was in the maze, he pulled out his map, which he'd made of the maze from the astronomy tower – no one had said he _couldn't_ make a map of the place, and they hadn't told him he could only use his wand, either, like they had for the first task (well, not explicitly). Looking over the map and the course he'd plotted for himself, Harry took off, watching carefully for his various opponents.

Harry's first problem was a dead end where there hadn't been one on his map. He sighed and shook his head – he'd half-way expected the path to change – and he glanced back down at the map to find another way. As he was looking at the map, he saw a bit of movement out of the corner of his eye and jerked his head up to look at the wall. It looked strangely fuzzy for a moment.

Harry shot a spell at the wall, blinking when it came back saying that there was no wall. Cautiously, he reached out a hand to touch the wall and passed right through it.

Harry finally just walked through the wall, shaking his head when he got through to the other side without mishap. "Glad I made a map," he decided, heading out again.

Other things he ran into included a Blast-Ended Skrewt – which he ran like hell from – a couple of spells meant to turn him around, a section of wall which threw Stunners at him, and a point in the ground that would have sent him half-way across the maze if he'd stepped on it. There was also a boggart, which had turned into a dead Sarah; since Harry could hardly find anything funny about that, he just found a way around it, rather than try and defeat it.

The last danger was in the form of a giant spider, which was guarding the Cup and clacking its pincers ominously. After checking to make sure there was no one around to see, Harry shot a Dark shearing curse at it and walk around it while it screamed in agony as its skin was torn off, bit by bit.

"Time to end this sham," he muttered, grabbing the Cup.

He felt the tug behind his navel and let go of the Cup a second too late, landing hard on the cracked ground of a graveyard. He was immediately on his guard; no one had said anything about the Cup being a portkey, and that was rather something you should have said.

Harry looked around to grab the Cup again, hoping it was a two-way port-key, but it had landed about seven metres from him, and before he could do more than turn towards it, he heard a voice say, "Harry Potter."

Harry turned to face a man he didn't recognise, who was holding what seemed to be a baby in one hand. The man was smiling madly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said carefully, "but I don't think we've been introduced."

"Barty Crouch," the man said. "At your service."

Before Harry could do much more than recall Winky's old master, the man was shooting ropes at him.

Harry brushed the ropes away contemptuously. "I've met Barty Crouch, and you're not him," he replied.

"No," the man agreed, throwing a couple more spells Harry's way, "I'm his son."

"His son?" Harry murmured, calmly blocking the spells as they came towards him. "Interesting. From what I'd read, you died in..." Understanding dawned. "You're one of Voldemort's followers."

Barty smiled happily. "Yes I am," he agreed. Then he stopped playing with Harry and started throwing Darker spells that a fourth year shouldn't be able to block at him.

Harry wasn't ready to show his hand to one of his Heir's minions yet, so he let a spell hit him and immediately hit the ground, unconscious.

-0-

"_Rennervate_," a voice said, and Harry opened his eyes blearily, feeling slightly sick. The spell he'd been hit with caused a nightmare-filled sleep, and he'd had plenty of nightmares to chose from – most of them involving his sister.

Barty was standing over Harry with a mad smile. Beyond him, a bone-white man stood, smiling cruelly at where Harry was tied to a tombstone. He registered a faint pain in his arm and saw the missing finger on Barty's hand. The resurrection ritual, then, his mind supplied. He briefly wondered how him being Voldemort's ancestor would affect the ritual, but didn't have time to ponder it further.

Voldemort stepped forward, smiling a horrible smile. "Ah," he whispered. "Harry Potter. We meet at last."

Harry cocked his head to one side, looking curiously up at his Heir. Recalling what the man had looked like from his diary, Harry commented, "You're kind of ugly. And I _like_ snakes."

Voldemort roared in fury and cast the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, which didn't affect the boy, much to the Dark Lord's confusion. He cast it twice more, red eyes darkening further.

Finally, Harry asked, "Are you quite through?"

"What magic is this?" Voldemort demanded.

Harry smirked and said, "You ask me that like I'm going to tell you."

Voldemort hit him with a cutting curse in response, and Harry winced. Voldemort smiled nastily. "At least something works on you," he commented, then turned to the circle of men that Harry was just now noticing. "As you can see, my followers, we have Harry Potter here today. He's just won the TriWizard Tournament. Unfortunately, he's also won his own death!" He turned back to Harry, eyes mad. "How about we duel, Harry? Would you like that? Going out in a blaze of glory, just like your father?"

Harry said nothing to that, recalling with sorrow the way his father had tried to hold Voldemort off. He had wished, at the time, that Salazar Slytherin's own father had been that brave and wonderful.

Voldemort had Barty untie him and give him his wand. "Now," Voldemort said, "we bow." The circle laughed.

Harry sketched a quick bow, not trusting Voldemort not to hit him when he wasn't paying attention.

Voldemort's first shot was another cutting curse, and Harry dove out of the way, absently healing his cuts. Once he was back in duelling form, he started shooting off a load of spells, keeping them Light for now. When Voldemort actually became a threat, Harry might start showing his hand. For now, however, the man was just playing with Harry, and the boy grimly played the Dark Lord right back.

It didn't take Voldemort long to realise that Harry wasn't backing down, nor did the boy seem worried by his spells. Rather, the boy was an impressively advanced dueller, considering his age and muggle background. Rather furious that Severus hadn't known more about the boy – mostly conjectures from his own belief that the boy was just like his father – Voldemort finally stopped playing with Harry, shooting off three Killing Curses in a row.

Harry ducked behind a tombstone at the sight of the green spells and was already moving again when they impacted, creating a hole in the stone big enough to send it toppling over. He thought hard as he dodged the bright green curses. Hermione, Susan, Ronald and he had all agreed that there were probably more of the soul containers, since the man had made two. Him still being alive pretty much proved that there were more, so killing the man would cause him to just live as a spirit again until Harry could destroy them. Voldemort could probably revive himself at any time, now that his followers knew he would live if hit with the Killing Curse.

There was nothing for it. He couldn't stop Voldemort at this time, and if he showed his hand too much, Voldemort would no longer underestimate him. And wizards who underestimated Salazar Slytherin had always made mistakes which they might not have otherwise.

And then, they died.

"_Accio portkey_!" Harry snapped as he got close enough to the Cup. He was just hoping it would work when the Cup slammed into his hand, taking him away not a moment too soon, as a bright green curse sped through where he'd been standing.

Voldemort howled his fury into the sky, then turned his wand on his followers.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** And, we'll stop there! (Don't you hate me?) XD

Next chapter, you'll find out who was Voldemort's man in the tournament, as well as what the Founders intend to do about Voldemort's horcruxes. Should be out next Wednesday.

Stay tuned! XD  
~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _Never As It Seems_


	10. Never As It Seems

**Title:** The Creators  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Beta:** The amazing, the beautiful, Shara Lunison!  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairings:** Susan/Neville, Ron/Krum, Hermione/Bill, Sarah/??, Harry/NO ONE, DAMNIT!  
**Warnings:** Mentions of child-abuse, anti-Muggle sentiments, mentions of murder and rape, anti-Dumbledore  
**Summary:** _'When their Creators return, their world shall be remade.'_ Four children hold the fate of the Wizarding World in their un-tried hands.

**Disclaim Her:** Your author is addicted to Animal Crossing: City Life. This doesn't bode well for future chapters.

-0-0-  
_Never As It Seems  
_-0-0-

Harry slammed into the ground in front of the maze, feeling as if he'd just run a marathon. He smiled at the surprised crowd and asked, "Who forgot to mention that the Cup was a portkey?"

The crowd recognised the object in his hand then and roared with approval. Up at the judges' booth, Bagman announced who'd won and called the other champions back.

In his head, Harry felt Hogwarts squeeze him desperately. _'Where were you? You... Sal, you disappeared!'_

Harry closed his eyes and whispered, "I know."

Before anything more could occur between them, Sirius descended upon him with the other three Founders, Sarah, Remus and Mrs Weasley. "Well done!" Sirius crowed, hugging Harry.

Harry managed a smile for his family and the press that was also moving in. Pictures were taken of Harry and his family and friends, as well as when Crouch Senior handed him the prize money and congratulations. It was at that moment that Harry finally realised that something was wrong with the man; his eyes held no life in them. Still gripping Crouch's hand for pictures, Harry used Legilimency on the man and helped him fight off the Imperius. He withdrew as life started returning to those brown eyes.

Crouch shook his head once, looking tired. He stared at Harry for a long moment in awe, then turned to the reporters and said, very quietly, "I have a horrible thing to tell you all."

Parts of the crowd laughed, until they realised that Crouch was serious and, next to him, Harry was watching them with a seriousness that belayed his age.

Once the crowd had fallen silent again, Crouch said, "I have just been freed from the Imperius Curse, my friends, one cast on me by Voldemort himself. Under it, I was directed to help young Harry through the competition – an order which was hardly required – and set the Cup to a portkey, which would take Harry to Voldemort himself, so the monster could be revived."

Disbelief whispered in the crowd and Harry said, "What other reason would there be for the Cup to be a portkey?"

Minister Fudge, who had attended because he could, insisted, "Impossible! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead!"

Harry smiled. "Really? Where is Igor Karkaroff, Minister? He seems to have disappeared. As has your faithful bank, Mr Malfoy." His eyes searched the crowd and found Draco, who was looking surprised at this turn of events. So the boy hadn't known of the Dark Lord's revival.

"This is madness!" Fudge blustered, stepping forward to assure the reporters and onlookers that Harry and Crouch were both mad.

"Is it?" Harry asked softly. "Perhaps we should ask the Cup where it's been?"

Everyone fell silent at that.

"There is no way to ask an inanimate object what it's seen," one reporter said scornfully.

"Actually," Harry replied, "there's a Dark spell, which was never made illegal because it's not well know, that can check where a portkey has been."

Sirius nodded and said, "There is. I have a book about it in my parents' home."

Other Dark witches and wizards were quietly agreeing with Harry and the boy smiled nastily at the Minister before pointing his wand at the portkey and saying, "_Portus Revealo._"

Above the Cup, the image of the centre of the maze appeared, with Harry reaching for it. Then the graveyard appeared, with a speedy series of images of all that had transpired there, before showing the entrance of the maze, where it had deposited Harry. When the show ended, the entire clearing was silent.

Finally, a bunch of reporters scribbled some quick notes on their pads and turned to leave, looking as pale as the rest of the people standing around the Cup.

Fudge cleared his throat and said, "We'll have to take Barty and Harry in for questioning–"

"You are _not_ taking my godson into the Ministry!" Sirius hissed, pulling Harry behind him protectively. "He's had a hard enough time tonight without you lot making it worse!"

"But, we'll have to–"

"Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmingly, "you can't use Veritaserum on a minor, and you can't take him in for questioning without the permission of his guardian."

With Sirius looking murderous on one side, and Dumbledore looking sever on the other, Fudge had to make do with just Crouch, so he led the unresisting man out of the pitch and towards the school gates, where the reporters were all headed.

Dumbledore walked over to Sirius, Harry, and their friends. "Harry, Sirius, I think we might need to have a talk in my office."

Harry and Sirius looked at each other curiously, then shrugged and nodded. Dumbledore led them into the school and up to his office while the other Founders and Sarah saw Mrs Weasley off.

Once in Dumbledore's office, the man offered food and drinks to his guests before offering them a sad look and saying, "Harry, I'm afraid you'll have to return to your aunt's house–"

"_Excuse me_?" Harry replied, sitting forward.

Dumbledore sighed. "There are protections on her house–"

"I know about the blood wards, Headmaster," Harry cut in coldly. "And I know that they can only exist so long as I believe that building to be home. And Privet Drive has _never_ been my home, even when it was the only building I'd ever known. It's hard to consider a place home when the people living there would rather you were dead."

Dumbledore shook his head against Harry's reply and said, "But you'll have to return, Harry, because with Voldemort back–"

"He used the Resurrection Ritual, Headmaster. In case you're not familiar with it, it requires the 'blood of the enemy'. My blood. With that, Voldemort will no longer be held back by the blood wards on that house. His Death Eaters won't be able to get through, true, but _he_ will. If you're _truly_ worried about my protection that much, why don't you just have me stay here this summer?"

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and looked at the boy in front of him. "Students aren't allowed–"

"Once they were," Harry replied. "Once, in the time of the Founders, students were allowed to stay at the school, especially if their parents were muggles, as they might have been killed for going home."

Dumbledore looked surprised at that comment, as if it hadn't been known to him. "Is that so?" he murmured.

Harry narrowed his eyes. Dumbledore was not a stupid man, and Harry may just have given him another piece to a puzzle he hadn't known the Headmaster had been working on. "The Grey Lady told me," he said softly, hoping to cover his blunder.

Dumbledore just looked more surprised. "How would the Grey Lady..." He blinked and shook his head. "Are you saying her ghost is from the time of the Founders?"

Harry huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's Helena Ravenclaw. _Surely_ you know who the ghosts are?"

"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore replied. "Anyone who's been a part of this castle for more than six hundred years is a relative unknown – our records don't go back that far. You may have noticed that we have no pictures of the Founders themselves, although we have more than enough pictures of other people who have lived in this castle through the years."

Harry nodded. The magic to give paintings life had been after his time, and what few pictures had been made of the Founders had been left in their private vaults, as the four friends had intended to give them to the school when they left. They hadn't intended to die in battle, without the chance to give the paintings to their fellow teachers. The best today's witches and wizards had was a rough description in _Hogwarts: A History_, which didn't do any of them justice. That was probably the sole reason the reborn Founders had gone undetected for so long.

Dumbledore had asked a painting to get the Grey Lady while Harry had been thinking, curious if Harry had spoken the truth, and the woman floated up through the floor at that moment, asking, "Might I help you, Headmaster?" When she glanced back at the man's guests, her eyes widened briefly, seeing Harry.

Dumbledore hadn't noticed the motion, and said, "Harry here tells me that you're Helena Ravenclaw?"

Helena looked back at Harry again with a sharp look and he shrugged. "I am," she said, looking back at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded. "He says the Founders had allowed students to remain in the school during breaks?"

Understanding dawned in Helena's intelligent eyes and she nodded. "They did. Usually when sending the child home would have been dangerous for them, but I also remained at the school, being a child of the staff."

"Of course." Dumbledore looked past her to Harry, who was smiling faintly. "Well, Harry, it looks like you're correct, but I don't know whether I'll allow you to stay the summer or not. I suppose it depends on how Voldemort reacts to being so publicly outed."

Harry nodded. "I understand, Headmaster. But I feel I must reiterate: I _will not_ return to Petunia's house. _Ever_."

Dumbledore sighed. "Of course." He fell silent long enough that Harry and Sirius both wondered if he'd forgotten to dismiss them and Helena had floated off to the side, intent on questioning Harry. Finally, Dumbledore said, "That was some impressive duelling, Harry."

Harry tensed. "Thank you, Headmaster. I practised with Remus a lot."

Dumbledore nodded, scrutinising Harry with sharp blue eyes for a long moment before finally saying, "Well, I suppose you may go. Sleep well, Harry, Sirius. And congratulations."

"Thank you," Harry replied.

Sirius and Harry left the office, Helena floating along behind them silently. After a moment, Harry said, "You were awfully quiet in there, Sirius."

Sirius grinned. "You seemed to have things under control."

Harry rolled his eyes fondly. "I suppose so."

"Oh!" Sirius stopped and tossed up a silencing ward, looking at Helena distrustfully. "I'd like to speak with Harry alone for a moment, if you don't mind?"

Helena looked at Harry curiously and he shrugged. "Meet me in the entrance hall?"

"Very well," she agreed, then floated through the floor.

"Creepy," Sirius decided, then turned to Harry with a bright grin. "So! I realised that you don't have a Marauder name, and you're an animagus. We should rectify that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, it's been four years since you found out about my form. Why choose now to bring this up?"

Sirius sighed, looking worried. "Because I think it would be good to have something else to call you. Just in case."

Harry nodded in understanding. Voldemort. "Shalsar?" he suggested.

Sirius blinked. "Why?"

Harry grinned. "It means 'Salazar' in Parseltongue. I figure, since everyone seems to be calling me that, it's as good as anything else, and it should bother Voldemort, if he hears it. Anyway, none of his Death Eaters would know that it means me, since it's not English, so they'd never tell him."

Sirius shook his head in amusement. "You want me calling you Salazar?"

"Shal would be the short form," Harry agreed cheerfully.

Sirius groaned. "Where did I go wrong?"

Harry just rolled his eyes at his godfather and grabbed his arm to lead him to the entrance hall.

Sirius chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. "Shal it is," he decided, making Harry smile happily.

-0-

The next morning's _Prophet_ had been full of articles about the announcements at the end of the third task. Harry was briefly mentioned as being the winner, but most of the articles had been more concerned with the revelation that Voldemort had returned.

The Founders and Sarah finally found time to talk over lunch. They met in the Room of Requirement and Harry told them everything that had happened in the graveyard. They were all silent for a long moment.

Finally, Hermione said, "We'll have to find the other soul containers."

"I know you don't like him," Susan agreed, looking at Harry, "but we might consider telling Dumbledore about this. He'll probably have a better way of finding the soul pieces than we do."

"But how will we explain it to him?" Harry asked. "We can't just walk up to him and say, 'We know Voldemort's split his soul into multiple parts and placed it into inanimate objects, can you help us find them? Oh, and no, we can't tell you how we know all this.' "

Hermione sighed. "No, but he might know things about your Heir that we don't, things that will help us figure out what he might have used, or where he might have hidden them."

Harry rubbed at his face tiredly. "I don't trust him."

"None of us do," Ronald agreed, "but there's a difference between trusting him and going to him out of necessity. This is more the latter."

"Sal," Sarah said softly, "how else do you plan to stop him? You can't do everything yourself."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"And in the eyes of the public, we're still kids," Susan agreed. "We need an adult on our side, someone who can help us with things we don't have the time to figure out ourselves."

"You don't have to like it, but we'll need his help," Hermione finished.

Harry muttered to himself for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. We'll go talk to him after your last exams this afternoon. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Hermione agreed with a smile.

"It'll work out, mate," Ronald said, reaching over to grip Harry's shoulder.

"I certainly hope so," Harry replied.

-0-

After their exam, the Founders met up outside Dumbledore's office. They'd all agreed that Sarah should go back to her own House, so there was no suspicion place upon her – she fought with them, but Harry played the big brother too well, and she ended up bowing to his demands, as she always had.

Once they were all there, Harry turned to the gargoyle and said, "We need to speak to the Headmaster."

The gargoyle nodded and was still for a long moment as it magically passed on the message. Finally, it moved to one side, allowing the four friends to pass. They could have just demanded it move – the whole castle followed their every demand – but they'd agreed to go by the book, as it were.

Ronald ended up reaching the door first and knocked. When Dumbledore called, "Enter," the red-head led the way in and cheerfully took one of the four open chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk. Hermione and Susan followed him calmly while Harry moved stiffly, eyeing the Headmaster with a touch of disgust.

Once they'd all sat, Dumbledore offered them tea, which only Harry turned down, then asked, "What might I do for you four?"

The other three looked at Harry and, after shooting them disgusted looks, he said, "Headmaster, you recall two years ago when Ginny Weasley was found in the hospital wing with no explanation?"

The Headmaster paused in the act of stirring yet more sugar into his tea, looking at Harry with poorly hidden curiosity. "I recall the incident."

Harry frowned and crossed his arms over his chest protectively. "I, as you know, am a Parselmouth. There is a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets–"

"So that's what it is," Dumbledore breathed.

"Sir?" Ronald asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "The Chamber of Secrets was opened once before."

"By Voldemort," Harry agreed, surprising the old man. "And it almost was again, except after killing a student the last time, the basilisk wasn't quite willing to come back up again. I happened to hear the hissed argument and went to check. I found Ginny arguing with the basilisk, but she didn't sound like Ginny."

"Voldemort?" Dumbledore guessed.

Harry nodded. "He'd placed a bit of his soul into a diary, and that bit of soul had possessed Ginny. I destroyed the diary, but we all realised that there might have been another piece of soul in the school, since one got in."

"We found one other," Hermione offered, sensing Harry's unwillingness to go on, "in the Room of Lost Things. We destroyed it as well, but seeing as how Voldemort is still alive, we think there must be more, but we're not sure where they'd be hidden, if not in the castle."

"What makes you so certain there aren't any more in the castle?" Dumbledore asked.

_'I have checked,'_ Hogwarts supplied.

When the students didn't look surprised at hearing the castle's voice, Dumbledore sighed and said, "I suppose we'll have to trust Hogwarts' word, then."

"She _is_ the one who found the second one, sir," Susan supplied.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "You want to find the other pieces, then?"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Voldemort needs to be destroyed, and getting rid of these soul pieces is looking to be the only way to do it."

"Do you know how many there might be?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not in the slightest," Harry replied drily.

"What we know is that one was a diary, which somehow found its way into my sister's hands, and the other was Ravenclaw's diadem, which was hidden inside the school," Ronald said.

"Ravenclaw's diadem?" Dumbledore repeated, looking gobsmacked.

The Founders traded amused looks.

Dumbledore gathered himself and smiled sheepishly at the amused teens. "Ah. Well, from what I remember of Tom as a student, he liked to collect things, things which had some sort of value to him. He also loved Hogwarts, as he'd grown up in an orphanage, and had hated the place."

"Things that meant something," Hermione murmured.

"And he loved Hogwarts?" Susan added.

Harry tapped thoughtfully on the arm of his chair. "He found the diadem, though I doubt it was simple. Perhaps he found the other treasures?" The other three Founders looked at him with dawning understanding, while Dumbledore looked curious. "Gryffindor's sword, Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket."

The Hat, which was sitting on Ronald's head, helpfully commented, "Oh, I've got Godric's sword."

"Dare I ask?" Harry replied drily.

"It was a safe place for it?" the Hat replied.

"Brilliant," Ronald murmured, pulling the Hat off his head and cheerfully taking out the sword.

"You could have dropped that on a student's head," Harry snapped.

"But I didn't," the Hat replied smartly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, let it go."

Harry huffed in disgust and looked away.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, smiling at the byplay. "The cup and the locket?" he asked.

The Founders traded nervous looks. They could recall their own heirlooms, of course, by going to Gringotts and demanding they be returned, but Dumbledore didn't know that.

"There's nothing saying that's all there is," Harry finally said, changing the subject.

"But if that's all he could find..." Susan commented.

"That's all that was left," Hermione said.

"Not according to history," Dumbledore offered. "Other than whatever has been locked away in the Founders' vaults in Gringotts, there's also a ring which was said to belong to Salazar Slytherin. Tom had somehow acquired it the summer before his seventh year and wore it everywhere."

The Founders traded looks. Salazar had never worn rings; they interfered with spellcasting, just as bracelets and necklaces did. In fact, none of the Founders had worn jewellery, other than hair pieces and Rowena's earrings. Salazar's own necklace had actually belonged to Sarah, and he felt sick at the thought that he wouldn't be able to return it to his sister.

"That's certainly a possibility," Ronald agreed after a long silence.

"I suppose we'll have to keep our eyes out for the items we think might be it," Hermione said.

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll set about looking for them, and I'll let you know if I manage to find one."

"Very well," Harry agreed, standing. "Thank you for your time, Headmaster."

"Certainly, children. And thank you for bringing this to my attention," Dumbledore replied.

As soon as the Founders were out of the office, Ronald said, "Gringotts?"

"Gringotts," the other three replied grimly.

-0-

That night, Diagon Alley saw a group of four small, cloaked visitors that, who hurried to Gringotts, which was open until three a.m. every day. When they entered, the building was mostly empty, and Hermione, who spoke basic Gobbledegook, walked up to one of the counters and said, "We require your superior."

The goblin looked at her suspiciously. On one hand, not many humans bothered to learn the goblin language. On the other hand, she hadn't given her name, only demanded to see the Night Master. "Why should I?" he demanded.

"Because if you don't," Hermione said with a smile that the goblin couldn't see, "your gold won't save you from your fate."

The goblin swallowed and nodded. "I'll be back," he said, then hopped down and hurried off.

"Dare I ask?" Ronald inquired.

Hermione shrugged. "Threatened him a bit."

"Sal is clearly rubbing off on you a bit too much."

"You can't blame me for everything, Ric," Harry commented drily.

"Sure I can."

The goblin returned with another goblin, who was eyeing them curiously. "May I assist you?" the new goblin asked in English.

"This is a matter of some privacy," Harry said, eyeing a vampire who stood at another window distrustfully.

The goblin nodded and waved for them to follow him before walking towards the offices of the goblins. The party was silent until they were behind stone walls, then the goblin said, "I am Ragnok, the Night Master."

The teens all pulled back their hoods and Hermione said, "Rowena Ravenclaw."

"Helga Hufflepuff."

"Godric Gryffindor."

"Salazar Slytherin."

The goblin stared at them in shock. "Impossible."

"Unlikely, not impossible," Susan replied lightly.

"I'll need to make sure, you understand," Ragnok said warily.

"We do," Hermione agreed.

Ragnok nodded and had each of them cast a spell at a piece of parchment. After a moment, each parchment listed their names as the Founders, as well as their names as they were at that moment. Each parchment also listed another name, and Hermione commented, "We had another past life between being the Founders and now?"

"Crazy," Ronald commented, taking his parchment and looking at the stated name. "Felix Summerby?"

"Didn't he invent Cheering Charms?" Harry asked.

"Really? Wicked," Ronald decided, grinning happily.

Hermione tapped thoughtfully at her past life, Bridget Wenlock, who had been a famous Arithmancer. "Why don't we remember these lives?"

"Maybe because we didn't need to," Susan commented, smiling at the name on her parchment: Daisy Dodderidge, who had founded the Leaky Cauldron. "I doubt we remembered being the Founders then, either."

"We were alive at different times, anyway," Harry commented, eyeing the name on his parchment: Ignotus Peverell. "Imagine how we would have felt, going to school and living out our lives without knowing where the others were."

"It was for the best, I suppose," Hermione agreed. "But still, it would have been nice to remember that life."

"Row," Harry said drily, "you _do_ know that most humans never get to remember _any_ of their past lives, right? Count your blessings that you've remembered the one."

"Oh, hush, you grouch." Hermione replied fondly.

Ragnok cleared his throat. "Now that I've made certain, what can I do for you, ladies, gentlemen?"

Susan sat forward. "It's recently come to our attention that some of the items we left behind when we died were used for nefarious purposes, and we'd like those items back."

Ragnok nodded. "Which items?"

"Helga's cup and my locket," Harry replied.

Ragnok nodded and set about making a note. "I believe Lady Hufflepuff's cup is currently in a vault. The locket will be harder."

Harry took a deep breath and said, "There's also a matter of a ring which supposedly belonged to me, but I have no recollection of. It was in the possession of my current Heir for some time during the end of his schooling."

Ragnok frowned and made some more notes. "You say it wasn't actually yours?"

Harry nodded. "I never owned a ring, but according to Dumbledore, history says it was mine. It's possible it simply got passed down through the family line after I died and was actually my wife's. I can't be sure."

Ragnok nodded. "I'll have it looked in to. While it wasn't officially yours, you might have sufficient sway to recall it. Now," he looked up at them seriously, "I can have the cup brought to you now, but it may take a couple days for the locket and the ring – if I can get it – to get to you. I'm assuming you don't want this search to become public?"

"We don't even really want our lives as the Founders to become public yet," Ronald replied drily.

Ragnok nodded again. "To whom should the artefacts be sent, then?"

The four friends traded looks. Ronald was the best as Fiendfyre, but Harry would be in the best position of all of them to destroy the items, assuming he was staying at Hogwarts over the summer. Finally, Hermione turned back and said, "Send it to Harry Potter. He's likely to be staying at Hogwarts this summer."

"Of course," Ragnok agreed, making another note and tugging a cord to call another goblin in to his office. He gave the goblin a slip of parchment and the goblin left, closing the door. "The cup is being retrieved now. Also, there is the matter of a goblin-made sword that has been tabled for some time." He looked at Ronald.

Ronald narrowed his eyes. "That was given to me by Gringott when this bank was first opened for my assistance in fighting for your rights. It was a gift."

Ragnok narrowed his own eyes. "Our records show it was stolen."

"If it was stolen, and I made no secret of having it, why wasn't I mobbed by goblins when I was still alive?" Ronald asked heatedly.

Susan placed a gentle hand on Ronald's arm and suggested, "It's possible that the sword was returned to Gringotts on your death, as I believe was supposed to happen, and someone stole it afterwards."

"It's also possible that the sword was simply never returned," Harry commented. "Which was hardly Godric's fault. A lot of things went wrong because we hadn't expected to die in that battle. Each of us had portraits made which were supposed to be given to the school upon our deaths, but weren't, and my locket was never supposed to end up with my children."

Ragnok grunted and leaned back into his chair. "Do you have the sword?"

Ronald nodded. "The Sorting Hat had it – don't ask me why! – and I'm willing to give it back to you if you truly want it, since swords are hardly used in this day and age. But I just want to set the record straight: I never stole that sword."

Ragnok stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. "I believe you. We would like the sword back."

Ronald nodded again. "It is not with me at this moment, but I will send it with an owl as soon as we return to the school. Is that acceptable?"

"It is," Ragnok agreed.

The goblin he'd sent for the cup returned with it, looking disgusted. "I don't know why they'd want it," he commented in Gobbledegook.

Ragnok took the cup and blinked in surprise. "You should know that this artefact has been used for Dark magic."

"Oh, we know," Harry replied with a grim smile. "My Heir used it store part of his soul. We're destroying it."

Ragnok's eyes widened. "Destroying it?"

"It's the only way we've found to get rid of the soul in it," Hermione said with some regret. "My own prized diadem is no more than fine dust, now."

Ragnok eyed the cup on his desk with some distaste. "Better destroyed than used like this," he agreed, handing the cup to Susan. "You might consider using your sword to destroy the evil," he suggested, looking at Ronald. When the boy looked surprised, the goblin got a smug look on his face and said, "It _is_ goblin-made."

"It could very well destroy the soul without doing more than denting the container," Harry agreed thoughtfully, recalling how effective goblin-made weapons were against Dark witches and wizards, including himself.

"But you want the sword back," Ronald pointed out. "I won't go back on my promise, not a second time."

Ragnok tapped on his chin. "If it can destroy this evil without harming the artefact, I would prefer you keep it long enough to be rid of the soul in the locket and – if we can find a loophole to get it – the ring." He smiled toothily. "And _then_ you will return it."

Ronald looked at his friends curiously, and Harry nodded. "I can't use that sword without burning my hands, but Sarah can. It would certainly be easier than Fiendfyre."

Ronald nodded in agreement. "Rather." He turned back to Ragnok. "Agreed. If the sword works, I'll send you an owl tonight to let you know. Salazar will send the sword to you once we've destroyed the locket and the ring, if we can."

Ragnok's eyes gleamed. "Agreed."

"If that is all?" Harry asked, standing.

"I believe so," Ragnok replied, also standing.

The other three Founders stood and Hermione said, "May your gold always flow."

"And may it never trickle through your fingers," Ragnok replied, then motioned for the goblin who had gotten the cup to lead the four teens from his office.

The students traded grins before they pulled up their hoods to hide their faces. That had gone well, all things considered.

-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** I know the chapter went really fast – perhaps too fast – but I was having a hard enough time writing it, as I recall, and making it go slower was a bit too much to ask for.

I _hope_ to have the next chapter out next Wednesday, but I make no promises. As I said at the top, I'm a bit addicted to AC:CL right now. Also, I'm not in the mood to write. (Which sucks, but there's not a lot I can do about it.)

~Bats ^.^x

**Next Chapter:** _Long Road_


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